CHANDIGARH: If a sweetmeat leaves you sick during a weekend, don't rush to the UT health department
to lodge a complaint. For, you will find no one to listen to your
grievance. And even the tollfree number of Food Safety and Standards
Authority, India, (FSSAI) will not offer you any solace.
The health department grievance cell remains closed on Saturday and Sunday and FSSAI tollfree number remains non-functional all through the week.
"We have just three food safety inspectors for different zones of the city, while Panchkula has only one. And they take an off on weekend. In case of an adulteration allegation, we should receive a written complaint within 24 hours. But not on a Saturday or a Sunday," said Dr Satbir Singh, local health authority and designated officer for Food Safety Act, UT health department. The cell receives complaints from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.
During the festival season, shops make sweetmeats in abundance, often compromising with their quality. "We will conduct surprise checks on shops. Most of the times, "khoya" is kept in unhygienic conditions in places like Bapudham, Mauli Jagran and Manimajra. To make big bucks, they manufacture more than their capacity," Dr Singh added. "Even consumers can visit the government lab in Sector 11 with their sample after we receive a written complaint from them," he said. The season also sees hospitals receiving many cases of diarrhoea and food poisoning.
"Eating "mithais" from substandard shops causes stomach infections. Milk and its products allow bacteria to proliferate when the storage conditions are not proper," said Dr R S Bedi, president of the Indian Medical Association.
Doctors have another word of advice: avoid colourful sweets, as these might contain adulterated colours. The recently-revised Food Safety Act is more stringent and has been reframed to speed up penalty in case of an adulteration.
The health department grievance cell remains closed on Saturday and Sunday and FSSAI tollfree number remains non-functional all through the week.
"We have just three food safety inspectors for different zones of the city, while Panchkula has only one. And they take an off on weekend. In case of an adulteration allegation, we should receive a written complaint within 24 hours. But not on a Saturday or a Sunday," said Dr Satbir Singh, local health authority and designated officer for Food Safety Act, UT health department. The cell receives complaints from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.
During the festival season, shops make sweetmeats in abundance, often compromising with their quality. "We will conduct surprise checks on shops. Most of the times, "khoya" is kept in unhygienic conditions in places like Bapudham, Mauli Jagran and Manimajra. To make big bucks, they manufacture more than their capacity," Dr Singh added. "Even consumers can visit the government lab in Sector 11 with their sample after we receive a written complaint from them," he said. The season also sees hospitals receiving many cases of diarrhoea and food poisoning.
"Eating "mithais" from substandard shops causes stomach infections. Milk and its products allow bacteria to proliferate when the storage conditions are not proper," said Dr R S Bedi, president of the Indian Medical Association.
Doctors have another word of advice: avoid colourful sweets, as these might contain adulterated colours. The recently-revised Food Safety Act is more stringent and has been reframed to speed up penalty in case of an adulteration.
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