Directive to monitor food supplied to anganwadis

A subordinate legislation committee of the Assembly has given directives to district food safety officers to routinely monitor the quality of food supplied to anganwadis and hostels for the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes directly run by the government. 

A meeting of the members of the committee was recently held in Munnar to collect details of issues faced while implementing the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.

Committee chairman M. Ummer, MLA, said it had sought details from organisations connected with health care, officials and the general public in the wake of the alleged food poisoning reported at the Peerumade Model Residential School at Kuttikanam and at a hostel at Arakkulam recently.

He said the public distribution system should be made transparent and fault-free and the Act should be implemented after clearing the initial hurdles.

The meeting has recommended issue of licence online to hotels, eateries, and other business establishments and facilities to be set up at the check-posts to monitor the quality of food items and food materials arriving from across the border.

At present, there are three food safety officers in the district in addition to the district food safety office and 18 grama panchayats come under the jurisdiction of each officer.

The committee also said that the scale for food safety standards cannot be relaxed in hotels and directed to strengthen the food safety check-up. The committee also heard complaints about the lack of laboratory facilities in Kottayam, Idukki a and Thrissur districts. The regional laboratory at Kakkanad is catering to theses districts in addition to Ernakulam district.