'Corporation should not interfere'

KOCHI: In the wake of Kochi Corporation seizing stale food from various eateries in the city, Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA) has come out strongly against the civic body. “The Corporation is not authorised to check the food served in eateries. According to the Food Safety and Standards Act-2006, it is the duty of the food safety authorities. When there are food inspectors to do the job, the Corporation should not interfere,” said KHRA president G Sudhiesh Kumar. “Moreover, the Corporation does not have the equipment to test the food. If the Corporation authorities can spot ‘stale food’ just by looking at the food, then why do we need laboratories to conduct the tests? The only possible reason behind the Corporation’s action is that they want to levy fines from the restaurant owners,” added Sudhiesh.
Meanwhile, the District Medical Officer (DMO), who is also the District Health Officer, noted that the District Health Authorities conduct raids in the eateries in the panchayat areas while the corporation checks the restaurants within the city limits. “The health department of the corporation regularly keeps a tab on the conduct of the eateries in the city. Meanwhile, our health inspectors take care of the eateries in the outskirts of the city and in the panchayats,” said Dr R Sudhakaran, DMO. “As far as we know, the health department of the Corporation is authorised to conduct raids in the eateries,” added Dr Sudhakaran.