Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 9: Food Safety Wing of Food and Drugs Administration Department, in compliance with the instructions issued by the Commissioner, FDA carried out surprise check of food business establishments across the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
This exercise was carried out to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food to the end user. The special drive was necessitated amidst growing concern that some unscrupulous traders can take advantage of lockdown enforced by Government due to pandemic COVID -19.
The Commissioner, FDA Shakeel-Ur-Rehman, had issued circular to the enforcement staff to conduct inspections of all Food Business Operators (FBOs) in the supply chain to ensure strict compliance of the guidelines on Food Safety and Hygiene practices for FBOs during COVID-19. Rehman also issued directions that due attention is required to be given to food product of mass consumption preferably spices, edible oil, cereals and cereals products, bakery products, milk and milk products and also other certain food products and furnish weekly reports in this regard.
During the drive commencing the enforcement staff carried out 996 inspections, lifted 62 samples of different food items viz. Mustard oil, Til oil, spices, atta, milk, dates etc and destroyed food item which includes vegetables, fruits, milk etc amounting to Rs. 25000. Moreover, 04 challans under various provision of the Act have been recommended against the erring FBOs which shall be filed in due course of time. Besides, the drive resulted in seizure of 560 Kg Ghee and 91 Kg of spices after lifting statutory samples which have been sent to the Food Testing Laboratory for ascertaining the quality of the said food item.
During April, 2020, the Food Testing Laboratory carried out analysis of 147 samples, out of which 46 have been declared sub standard/misbranded. The prosecution against the concerned FBO is being launched.
Meantime, a Food Safety team headed by Dr Parvesh Kumar, Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety Jammu and comprising of Food Safety Officers namely Ajay Khajuria and Daleep Singh of Municipal Limit Jammu, today conducted a special drive in Fruit and Vegetable Mandi, Narwal and lifted samples of vegetables.
All the samples were sent to Food Testing Laboratory for analysis and to detect synthetic colouring material in vegetables. The team advised the retail and wholesale merchants to sanitize the areas in and around their premises and use sanitized means of transportation for the vegetables.
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