THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health Minister V S Sivakumar told the Assembly on Wednesday that a decision on including food safety in school syllabus will be taken after holding consultations with the Education Minister.
“The Health Department is of the view that food safety should be included in the syllabus. A decision can only be taken after discussing the matter with the Education Minister,” he said during the question hour.
Stating that food safety offices have been opened at all the 140 constituencies, Sivakumar said that 57 vacancies had to be filled in these offices. Once the posts are filled, the offices would have a greater role in ensuring safety of food, he said.
On a question regarding chemicals used in fish for preserving it, Sivakumar said that the government was aware that certain chemicals were used in fish for preservation.
However, no action has been taken against such activities, he added. He said that the government was aware that formalin was used as a preservative.
Sivakumar also said that no study has been conducted on the harmful effects of using such chemicals. The Minister said that the Analytical Labs at Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode and the Central Lab at Kochi had facilities for testing chemical contents in fish samples.
On increasing reports of pesticide-laden vegetables and fruits, he said that the tests on vegetable and fruit samples did not show pesticides above the levels envisaged by the food safety standards.
And, as such, no case has been registered against any wholesale or retail dealer in the state. The Minister said that steps have been taken to conduct tests on more vegetable and fruit samples.
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