Punjab Government has launched a State-wide drive to intensify the ongoing check on food adulteration and contaminated food items which were playing havoc with the human lives. The Government has already launched an aggressive campaign against the sale of adulterated food items including sweets, khoya and other milk especially during the forthcoming festival season, said the State Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jayani while addressing a meeting of the designated officers and Food Safety Officers of the department.
Jayani asked the officers to increase raids on eateries, sweet shops and especially godowns suspected to be selling, storing or manufacturing such products.
To keep strict vigil on the milk products and khoya coming from other states, the Minister said that all entry points, including the railway stations, bus stands, have been guarded against adulterated food items and synthetic milk.
Expressing concern over the water contamination, Jayani directed the officers to ensure the packed bottles carry the ISI or BIS marks on the packages.
Principal Secretary Health Vini Mahajan informed that 5272 food samples were collected in August and as many as 1387 samples were found adulterated. Similarly, in 89 milk samples collected, as many as 33 found contaminated. “The action was being initiated against the erring under Food Safety Act, 2006,” she said.