Oct 17, 2014

Manpower shortage against adulteration

JAIPUR :
Ahead of Diwali, waging a war against food adulteration has become difficult for the government with its limited resources. Due to fund crisis many of the mobile food laboratories have become defunct.
For thousands of shops and lakhs of customers, there are only 77 food inspectors, who can take samples of food products to ensure quality of products being sold ahead of Diwali. Moreover, the mobile laboratories are lying inoperational, which is a big setback for the officials taking on food adulteration. A health department official said, “We do not have funds for mobile laboratories for testing of samples. Mobile laboratories help us testing food on the spot. Now, in the absence of funds, we have to send samples to stationed government laboratories.”
The mobile laboratories can be used for testing of any kind of food products, including spices, dry fruits and milk products. In the entire state, the officials involved in food safety drive, ahead of Diwali, face the same problem, said the official.
The officials who are taking samples are in limited numbers. Health department’s joint director Aditya Atreya said, “We have 77 food inspectors. In Jaipur, there are 11 food inspectors taking samples of food items.”
The population of the state is close to seven crore, but there are only 77 food inspectors in the state.
Moreover, there are seven food laboratories in the state which were closed down due to lack of food analysts, over the past few years. However, the health department continued its drive against food adulteration on its second day and collected samples of chatni (sauce) from a shop in Raja Park and also collected samples of oil from Shyam Doongri area. Chief medical health officer, Jaipur, Dr O P Thankan said, “The owner of the shop was found selling oil in packets with a brand name. He has no license for selling the oil in packets with brand name as he cannot do marketing of it without license. We have served him notice.”

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