KOCHI: The continuing raids on restaurants across the state have triggered a power struggle between two agencies.
The raids conducted by the local bodies have angered the commissionerate of food safety, which maintained that it was the only agency empowered to conduct the inspection.
The raids were necessitated following an incident of food poisoning in Thiruvananthapuram, which claimed the life of a youth. Following the incident, the authorities, including local civic bodies, have been conducting raids on restaurants. Several eateries were closed down after they were found offering stale food.
With the authorities seemingly competing with each other in conducting raids, food safety officials, citing the implementation of the Food Safety and Standard Act(FSSA), 2006, claimed that the local bodies were stripped off powers to seize stale food and order restaurants to shut shop. The officials claimed that only they have power to ensure hygiene and good sanitary conditions in hotels and restaurants.
"Even as the local bodies were deprived of their power to seize food from hotels with the implementation of the Food Safety and Standard Act, many local bodies have violated this in the recent days and seized samples. We can't reach the conclusion that food items kept in freezers are stale without proper examination," said Biju Prabhakar, food safety commissioner.
He added that while collecting samples from hotels, off1icials were required to follow certain guidelines. Several hoteliers had complained that officials from local bodies were collecting samples without following the stipulated norms.
Differing with the food safety commissioner, T K Devarajan, chairman of the Maradu municipality claimed that the Kerala Municipality Act, 1994, empowered them to raid hotels and even issue closure orders, if necessary. "We raided hotels and fined them for serving stale food as the Municipality Act permit us to do so," he said. The Maradu municipality had conducted raids on several hotels, including up market ones.
"The provisions in the Municipality Act enable us to impose fine and take action on hotels for serving stale or adulterated food," said Dr D Sreekumar, health officer of the Thiruvananthapuram corporation.
The raids conducted by the local bodies have angered the commissionerate of food safety, which maintained that it was the only agency empowered to conduct the inspection.
The raids conducted by the local bodies have angered the commissionerate of food safety, which maintained that it was the only agency empowered to conduct the inspection.
The raids were necessitated following an incident of food poisoning in Thiruvananthapuram, which claimed the life of a youth. Following the incident, the authorities, including local civic bodies, have been conducting raids on restaurants. Several eateries were closed down after they were found offering stale food.
With the authorities seemingly competing with each other in conducting raids, food safety officials, citing the implementation of the Food Safety and Standard Act(FSSA), 2006, claimed that the local bodies were stripped off powers to seize stale food and order restaurants to shut shop. The officials claimed that only they have power to ensure hygiene and good sanitary conditions in hotels and restaurants.
"Even as the local bodies were deprived of their power to seize food from hotels with the implementation of the Food Safety and Standard Act, many local bodies have violated this in the recent days and seized samples. We can't reach the conclusion that food items kept in freezers are stale without proper examination," said Biju Prabhakar, food safety commissioner.
He added that while collecting samples from hotels, off1icials were required to follow certain guidelines. Several hoteliers had complained that officials from local bodies were collecting samples without following the stipulated norms.
Differing with the food safety commissioner, T K Devarajan, chairman of the Maradu municipality claimed that the Kerala Municipality Act, 1994, empowered them to raid hotels and even issue closure orders, if necessary. "We raided hotels and fined them for serving stale food as the Municipality Act permit us to do so," he said. The Maradu municipality had conducted raids on several hotels, including up market ones.
"The provisions in the Municipality Act enable us to impose fine and take action on hotels for serving stale or adulterated food," said Dr D Sreekumar, health officer of the Thiruvananthapuram corporation.
The raids conducted by the local bodies have angered the commissionerate of food safety, which maintained that it was the only agency empowered to conduct the inspection.
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