Following the death of a four-year-old boy due to suspected food poisoning after he reportedly ate jelly candy from a bakery in the city, food safety officials have asked shopkeepers to ensure the quality of food items being sold through their outlets.
“The Food Safety and Standards Act wants shopkeepers to check if the manufacturers have the mandatory food safety licence. The 14-digit licence number should be displayed in the packet, container or bottle in which the food item is stored. It should also have the customer care number and address of the manufacturer,” O. Sankaran Unni, Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), said on Monday.
He said that most of the food items being sold through bakeries and small shops in the city often don’t meet these standards and buying food from them is unsafe. Government and semi-government organisations, private organisations, street vendors, Kudumbasree units, home-based food manufacturers, mess houses, and canteens in educational institutions are supposed to apply for the licence. It is also illegal to sell curd, milk, edible oil, and masala powder in low-quality plastic covers, according to a directive brought out by the FSSAI.
Meanwhile, Mr. Unni said that it is yet to be confirmed if Yosuf Ali, the four-year-old from Kappad, died after he ate jelly candy. “According to his family members, they had also eaten other food. We are awaiting the post-mortem report and the report from the regional analytical lab to reach a conclusion,” he said. The bakery from where the jelly candy was brought had been asked to produce their food safety licence. The Kasaba police questioned the wholesale dealer from Tirur in Malappuram district from where the sweet was purchased. They are also awaiting the lab report.
It is yet to be confirmed if Yosuf Ali, the four-year-old from Kappad, died after he ate jelly candy.
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