In the wake of coming festival season, State Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra on Tuesday issued strict instructions to the State Food Safety Administration to keep an eagle’s eye on the production of food items besides conducting random sampling of the food items and selling of food like sweets, fast food, packed food and bakery items.
The District Health Officers and Assistant Food Commissioners have been mandated to take stern legal action against such anti-social elements, who play with the lives of the innocent citizens by selling adulterated food items.
The instructions were on Tuesday issued by the Minister while chairing high level meeting of Food Safety Administration of State and district authorities.
“It is a matter of serious concern that many manufactures are indulged in the producing food items using harmful chemical and contaminated ingredients which causes illness to the consumers in the state,” he said adding that the erring sellers or manufacturer will not spare at any cost and there is no laxity for the mafia who are running the trade of adulterated food items.
Mohindra said that instructions have also been issued to all SSPs to provide security to concerning officers for conducting raids at odd time.
He also instructed the inter-district teams at head office to conduct the special drive against adulteration in the field.
During this drive, special checking point would be set at Punjab’s border areas to break the supply line of adulterated food like khoya, ghee and other food items.
Mohindra instructed all officers to ensure that small vendors may not feel harassment on the name of food adulteration. “Especially cold stores, wherein bulk of food products have been kept, and dedicated places of production like sweet and bakery items must be checked,” he said.
Health Minister also asked the officers to share the obstacles faced during the raids and sampling for further departmental reforms in the department.
He said that soon, a dedicated app will be launched by the department To bring transparency in the functioning of food safety department.