News In Shorts: 11 August 2026 | FSSAI, Peacock, Sharks & Plastic Recycling

Discontinuing ‘100% Pure’ Foods

Context: FSSAI has directed food businesses to discontinue absolute claims such as “100% Pure” and “100% Natural” on packaged food labels to prevent misleading consumers.

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Why ‘100% Pure’ Foods Came Under Scrutiny?

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has clarified that terms such as “100% Pure”, “100% Natural”, “100% Organic” and “100% Purity Guaranteed” are not defined under Indian food regulations and may mislead consumers.
• Reasons for FSSAI’s Action
• • Misleading Marketing Claims: Absolute claims create an impression of complete purity or superior nutritional quality, which cannot be scientifically or legally verified for most packaged foods.
  • Food Processing Reality: Most packaged foods undergo processing such as washing, pasteurisation, filtration, homogenisation or packaging, making claims of being “100% natural” scientifically difficult to justify.
  • Consumer Protection: The move aims to prevent healthwashing, where marketing terms influence purchasing decisions despite not reflecting the actual nutritional value of the product.

Regulatory Framework

• Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006: Empowers FSSAI to regulate food safety, labelling, advertising and consumer protection.
• FSS (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018: Mandate that all food claims must be truthful, unambiguous, scientifically substantiated and not misleading.
  • FSSAI stated that the “ 100 % Claim” term is undefined, ambiguous, and creates false impressions of absolute purity or superiority
• Consumer Protection Act, 2019: Prohibits misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices, safeguarding consumers against deceptive marketing.

Impact of Discontinuing 100% Claims

• Improved Transparency: Encourages consumers to rely on ingredient lists and nutrition facts instead of promotional claims.
• Public Health: Supports informed dietary choices and discourages misleading health claims that may contribute to unhealthy consumption patterns.

Indian Peacock at UNOG

Context: India recently donated five young Indian peacocks, including a rare white-feathered male, to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG).

About the Peacock Donation

• Symbolic Donation: The five birds comprise four blue peafowl and one white-feathered male, reflecting the blue-and-white colours associated with the United Nations.
• This was the second such donation by India, following a breeding pair sent to UNOG in 1981.

About Indian Peacock

• The Indian Peacock (Pavo cristatus), also called the Common Peafowl, is India’s national bird, known for its striking plumage and deep cultural significance.
• Key Features
  • Habitat: It inhabits dry deciduous forests, grasslands, orchards and cultivated areas, including landscapes near human settlements.
  • Diet:  It is omnivorous, feeding on seeds, fruits, insects, small reptiles and amphibians.
  • Distribution: It is native to the Indian subcontinent and is widely distributed across India and neighbouring parts of South Asia.
  • Physical Features: Males possess an elaborate train of elongated upper tail-coverts with distinctive eyespots, while females are comparatively duller and lack the long train.
• Protection Status:
  • IUCN Status: Least Concern (LC) 
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
• Cultural Significance
  • National Bird: The Indian Peacock was declared India’s National Bird in 1963.
  • Religious and Cultural Traditions: The peacock is associated with Lord Kartikeya as his vahana and with Lord Krishna, who is traditionally depicted wearing a peacock feather.
  • Art and Architecture: Peacock motifs feature prominently in Indian textiles, paintings, decorative arts and architecture, reflecting their enduring cultural presence.

Sharks to Improve Hurricane Predictions

Context: Researchers are using sharks fitted with sensors to collect ocean data that could improve hurricane intensity predictions.

Researchers are testing sharks as mobile ocean-data observers to improve forecasts of hurricane intensity before landfall.

About CTD Tags

• A CTD Tag (often called a CTD Satellite Relay Data Logger or CTD-SRDL) is a miniaturized, non-invasive electronic tracking device attached to marine animals like seals, sea lions, and whales.
• These tags measure:
  • Conductivity (linked to salinity)
  • Temperature
  • Depth
    • As sharks swim and dive, the tags collect real-time ocean data.
• Working Mechanism
  • Ocean Data Collection: The tags measure electrical conductivity, which is closely related to salinity, along with temperature and depth.
    • Sharks naturally move through different parts of the ocean, allowing sensors to collect observations across the water column.
  • Satellite Transmission: When tagged sharks reach the surface, the sensors communicate with orbiting satellite receivers.
    • The collected observations can therefore be transmitted for use in oceanographic, atmospheric and climate models.
  • Hurricane-Relevant Data: Researchers are particularly interested in the heat content of the ocean’s upper mixed layer.
    • A warmer mixed layer provides more heat energy to hurricanes and can contribute to greater storm intensity.

Shark -borne sensors provide near-real-time ocean observations from data-scarce areas, complementing conventional measurements and improving understanding of ocean–atmosphere interactions.

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Recycling Waste Milk Packets

Context: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru have developed a method to recycle discarded milk packets into durable, outdoor-use materials.

The Scale of the Problem

• India uses an estimated 100–120 million single-use milk packets daily, accounting for nearly half of all milk packaging material in the country.
• Milk packets pose a unique waste challenge:
• • They are often left in bins or on roadsides for extended periods rather than being picked up quickly (unlike plastic bottles, which are more valuable to ragpickers).
  • The dark inner layer used to block UV/visible light (to extend shelf life) makes them unattractive to recycling companies.

How Does The Technology Work?

• Polyethylene from milk packets is combined with recycled polypropylene (used in oil/shampoo containers).
• Since the two plastics differ at the molecular level, special molecules called “vitrimers” are used to bind them into a new, structurally strong composite material.

Applications

• The resulting material is strong enough for outdoor use.
• Researchers have successfully 3D-printed podiums — one has been supplied to IISc for testing.
• Other potential products include outdoor furniture like benches.

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Benefits of Recycled Multi-Layer Plastics 

• Durability: The recycled material can be used to create durable building materials.
• Faster Construction: It can enable faster construction compared with conventional methods.
• Lower Water Use: It can reduce the water used in construction compared with conventional brick-and-mortar construction.
• Waste Utilisation: It provides an application for multi-layer plastics that are otherwise difficult to recycle.

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