School authorities have been urged to taste the meals before serving them to students
At the end of inspection of premises of 15 more
self-help groups (SHGs) engaged in the supply of mid-day meals on
Friday, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Goa, has issued an
advisory to all SHG's to inspect the bakeries from where they procure
the bread and check the quality of bread before it is supplied to the
children under the mid-day meal scheme.
Giving the details of Friday's inspection report, FDA Director Salim Veljee, told
The Hindu
in the evening that timely intervention of the FDA inspection team in
Salcete had averted a possible mishap wherein sub-standard bread would
have been supplied to at least eight schools.
In
continuation of its drive of surprise inspection of the various SHG's
engaged in the supply of mid-day meals to the schools in State, the FDA
on Friday inspected premises situated at Peernem, Horgaon, Harmal,
Parsem, Aldona, Sattari, Margao, Aquem, Navelim, Davorlim, Cuncolim, and
Chandor.
Simultaneously, the Directorate of
Education on Friday stated that it had taken all the necessary
precautions and instructions were issued to SHGs and Mahila Mandals
(MMs),women’s groups to supply safe and hygienic mid-day meals.
An
official of the Education Department said that FDA had now been
requested to inspect the kitchens of the SHGs and MMs regularly and the
taluk ADEI’s had been directed to ensure that the school authorities
test and taste the meal before serving it to students.
The
Directorate of Education had also cautioned the public and parents not
to panic by the rumours concerning mid-day meals following FDA's report
that no adulteration was found in the samples of food in mid-day meal
supplies to St. Joseph High School, Usgao, recently contrary to a
complaint lodged in this regard by school with the police.
Speaking to
The Hindu
about the inspections carried out on the premises of SHGs cooking food,
across the State on Friday, Mr. Veljee said that only minor lapses were
observed in the overall cleanliness in raw material storage,
non-availability of sanitary health cards of food handlers, exhaust fan
availability in kitchen, insectocutors to ensure that the area was free
of flies and insects, etc., and these SHG's had been directed under
improvement notices to rectify the defects within a week and submit
their compliance report to the Directorate.
With
Friday’s inspection drive, the FDA had inspected 76 SHG premises in the
State and the balance SHG's located in Bardez, Porvorim, Nerul, shall be
completed on Saturday, said Mr. Veljee.
He disclosed
that all these surprise inspections had been carried out early morning 6
a.m. to 1 p.m. to witness and verify the actual cooking activities as
well as practices adopted by such SHG's in cooking of the midday food.
One
SHG of Gram Darshan Prathisthan of Suresh Zarekar at Suregali, Sattari
in north Goa was getting his order of mid-day meals being prepared at an
alternative premises 8 km away from his regular authorised licensed
premises (Suregali) at another premises at Savashe, Sattari.
As
the alternative premises had no FDA licence under the Food Safety and
Standards Act, 2006, the SHG was directed to immediately stop the
cooking activity at that un-licensed premises and revert back to his
licensed premises or face suspension of his activity.
FDA
report revealed that Ganesh SHG at Davorlim, Salcete in south Goa, was
supplying bread along with the midday meal food. Bread was procured from
a local bakery of Anthony Dias (Ashok bakery) at Vasudev Nagar,
Zariwaddo, Margao and the said bakery upon inspection was found to be in
an unhygienic condition and thus the activity of the said bakery was
immediately shut down for further operation by the FDA officials.
Stale bread
As
the bread that was procured from that bakery by Ganesh SHG to be
supplied to eight schools in Salcete taluk was found to be infested with
fungus and not fit for consumption and immediately the FDA officials
directed the Ganesh SHG to stop the supply of the bread with his midday
food.
The FDA team informed the Education Department
Salcete in-charge, ADEI to direct the SHG to make an alternative
arrangement of good quality bread for school children and accordingly
the said SHG provided sliced bread with the food to the schools.
The
FDA shall in the next few days complete the inspection and verification
of the remaining premises of the SHG’s, said Mr. Veljee.
FDA has been requested to inspect the kitchens of the SHGs and MMs regularly
‘Only minor lapses were observed in the overall cleanliness of kitchens’
