Are you buying safe food

CHECKING:Food safety officials raiding a departmental store in Madurai

Colourful racks can take you for a ride

On March 9, a team of food safety officials conducted a surprise inspection at a popular departmental store near Viswanathapuram on Old Natham Road.
What was supposed to be a casual check of food items turned out to be a major catch for the Food Safety Officers who were startled by the gross violations.
While the customers were picking up their choice of items off the shelf, the inspection team was pulling out eatables and food products which were past expiry date.
The enforcement wing of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 is cracking a whip on Food Business Operators who are taking customers for a ride by selling sub-standard/ misbranded food products either intentionally or unintentionally.
For instance, the raid at this particular departmental store brought to light how children’s favourite snack items were still being sold even weeks after the expiry date. The ‘karachevu’ packets of Rs.45 each for which the date was over on February 28 were still there on the racks on March 9. For butter biscuits, there was no packaged date at all. Colourful biscuit packets carrying expiry date of January 22 on the labels, flour packets with no address where it was prepared and snacks which should have been removed from the racks after expiry date were seized by the Food Safety Officers and the store owner was warned.
“Our objective is not to penalise vendors and shopkeepers. The Act is for public health. Unsafe food products should not be sold and consumers should not be cheated,” says J.Suguna, Designated Officer for Food Safety, Madurai district.
The Act empowers the enforcement authorities to look into manufacturing, processing, packaging, storage, transportation and sale of food or food ingredients.
Given the apprehensions among traders and vendors, the officials are conducting awareness programmes in urban and rural areas. Simultaneously, they are also conducting surprise checks to nab all those involved in adulteration.
All Food Business Operators come under the purview of the Act. Government-run Fair Price Shops, civil supplies godowns, TASMAC bars, HR&CE temples’ annadhanam scheme, restaurants/hotels, Adi Dravida and Tribal hostels, college hostels, noon meal centres, departmental stores, retail shops, road side eateries, canteens and dhabas come under the scanner.
L.K.Muralidharan, Food Safety Officer (Madurai East), says that license or registration certificate is a must to run any type of food business depending on the annual turnover. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has extended the deadline to February 2014 to obtain the license.
There are 18,463 food business units in Madurai district of which 4,688 are uner the Government and the remaining 13,775 are private. As per the registration and licensing status up to February this year, only 6,929 units (5,409 private and 1,520 Government) have completed the mandatory formalities.
According to K.Saravanan, Food Safety Officer (North), more awareness programmes have been planned with the support of Self-Help Groups, voluntary organisations and associations to give a push to food safety license.
He says that shortage of manpower is a constraint in carrying out extensive checks. “If we conduct raid in a particular business premises, it takes at least two hours to seize the materials and seal the shop. We made a representation asking for appointment of office attendants who can be used during raids. If we go as a group, then shopkeepers will have some fear,” he says.
In Madurai district, there are 26 Food Safety Officers posted in urban and rural areas. But they have a grievance that there is no proper office for food safety team in rural areas whereas their urban counterparts manage with support from the Corporation.Officials say that major violations were found in sales of edible oil, bread and snacks. “During our raids in the city and in Thirumangalam, we found that non-edible oil meant for lamp lighting (pooja purpose) was being sold. We seized the oil and dumped it,” says Mr.Saravanan.
Awareness meetings about quality consciousness are being conducted for small and big units but what is worrying the food safety wing is the negligence on the part of popular stores too. They are keeping a check on ‘idli and dosa’ flour, gravy and other pre-packed items.
Recently, marriage halls too have been asked to engage only those catering units and food contractors who have food safety registration certificate.
Right now, the officials are not keen on imposing fine or penalty because they are hoping that the Chambers of commerce, public, businessmen and shops will take food safety issue as food for thought in a gradual manner.