Uncovered mutton and other eatables sold brazenly!
Srinagar: Food safety laws are being violated indiscriminately as vendors and others sell uncovered food and food-ingredients without any fear of law and enforcement agencies.
The Food Safety Act 2006 makes it mandatory for every licensed stockist or food vendor to keep the food items properly covered. It says “every utensil or container containing any food or ingredient of food intended for sale shall at all times be either provided with a tight fitting cover or kept closed or covered by a properly fitting lid or by a closed fitting cover or gauze, net or other material of a texture sufficiently fine to protect the food completely from dust, dirt and flies and other insects.” To ward off infections it also calls for keeping away the edibles from pollutants.
The Act also calls upon the license issuing authority - which in this case is SMC - to keep check on the violations.
SMC, according to the experts, has the authority to notify challan or close down the food outlets or shops found violating the regulations.
However, this agency has failed in keeping these standards and is simply winking at such vendors or stockists, insiders said.
“SMC has to ensure that all vendors adhere to the regulations. But their market checks are an eye-wash and eatables are sold in unhygienic conditions,” sources said.
“Rules even stipulate that every vendor has to submit a fitness certificate to SMC that he/she is not suffering from any ailment. But here we don’t have any checks and nearly all the vendors are without a hygiene license from SMC,” revealed another official.
Health experts say uncovered food could be major health hazard causing frequent spread of infections.
“Most of the food items (vegetables, milk, red meat, oil etc.) are sold in open and are inhabited by bacteria. Children are the most vulnerable group because their immune system is weak,” says Chief Medical Officer (CMO) SMHS Hospital, Dr. Altaf Ahmed Rather.
“SMC should play its role, but unfortunately they have allowed the system to derail at the cost of the public health,” the doctor said.
While agreeing that the open foods are available in market places here, Health Officer SMC Dr. Rubena said, “Best thing to tackle the problem it to avoid vendors or stockists who sell uncovered food items.”
“We issue notices against the violators and also create awareness. One cannot expect changes overnight,” she said and claimed that SMC has forced the butchers to use glass covers for selling mutton.
However, on ground, majority of the mutton sellers don’t adhere to the directives. And same is the case with all others who sell various other eatables.
Srinagar: Food safety laws are being violated indiscriminately as vendors and others sell uncovered food and food-ingredients without any fear of law and enforcement agencies.
The Food Safety Act 2006 makes it mandatory for every licensed stockist or food vendor to keep the food items properly covered. It says “every utensil or container containing any food or ingredient of food intended for sale shall at all times be either provided with a tight fitting cover or kept closed or covered by a properly fitting lid or by a closed fitting cover or gauze, net or other material of a texture sufficiently fine to protect the food completely from dust, dirt and flies and other insects.” To ward off infections it also calls for keeping away the edibles from pollutants.
The Act also calls upon the license issuing authority - which in this case is SMC - to keep check on the violations.
SMC, according to the experts, has the authority to notify challan or close down the food outlets or shops found violating the regulations.
However, this agency has failed in keeping these standards and is simply winking at such vendors or stockists, insiders said.
“SMC has to ensure that all vendors adhere to the regulations. But their market checks are an eye-wash and eatables are sold in unhygienic conditions,” sources said.
“Rules even stipulate that every vendor has to submit a fitness certificate to SMC that he/she is not suffering from any ailment. But here we don’t have any checks and nearly all the vendors are without a hygiene license from SMC,” revealed another official.
Health experts say uncovered food could be major health hazard causing frequent spread of infections.
“Most of the food items (vegetables, milk, red meat, oil etc.) are sold in open and are inhabited by bacteria. Children are the most vulnerable group because their immune system is weak,” says Chief Medical Officer (CMO) SMHS Hospital, Dr. Altaf Ahmed Rather.
“SMC should play its role, but unfortunately they have allowed the system to derail at the cost of the public health,” the doctor said.
While agreeing that the open foods are available in market places here, Health Officer SMC Dr. Rubena said, “Best thing to tackle the problem it to avoid vendors or stockists who sell uncovered food items.”
“We issue notices against the violators and also create awareness. One cannot expect changes overnight,” she said and claimed that SMC has forced the butchers to use glass covers for selling mutton.
However, on ground, majority of the mutton sellers don’t adhere to the directives. And same is the case with all others who sell various other eatables.
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