Many outlets found using low-quality milk, ice and water
The Commissioner of Food Safety has issued a set of
guidelines to be followed necessarily by juice shops across the State,
as prescribed by Section 30 (d) of the Food Safety and Standards Act
(FSSA), 2006.
The Commissioner said the guidelines
had been issued as many food poisoning cases were being reported by
customers of juice shops. A majority of these shops were using milk, ice
and water of suspect quality.
All juice shops should
have FSSA licences or registration, which should be displayed
prominently. The water and ice should be safe and of the prescribed
quality.
The fruits, sugar, nuts and other additives
used to make juices or milk shakes should be bought only from shops or
outlets or traders who had a FSSA licence and the purchase bills should
be kept. All packed food items should have the necessary label
information. The details of purchase — name of the shop/trader,
quantity, price and so on — should be entered in a register
systematically and should be produced for inspection.
The
water being used should be from a source of impeccable quality and the
quality of the water source should be tested every six months at a
government-approved analytical laboratory. These reports should be kept
in the shop.
Store properly
All food items, including water, in the shops should be stored in covered containers of food-grade quality.
The
fruits should be of good quality, with no trace of fungus. The fruits
should be washed and refrigerated. Ice should not be stored in
polystyrene boxes, but in freezers or ice boxes. Prepared juice should
not be stored for long in the fridge.
Food safety
officials pointed out that most of the shops were storing milk in
freezers well beyond the expiry period for use in milk shakes. This was
an unsafe practice.
All employees in juice shops
should have medical fitness certificates. They should strictly follow
hygienic practices in handling food. Those with any skin conditions or
infectious diseases should not be allowed as employees in food
businesses.
The environment in which juice was
prepared should be clean and the implements used for preparing juices
such as mixers, juicers and strainers should be cleaned after every use.
The refrigerator and freezer should be cleaned regularly and the last
date on which it was cleaned should be displayed on the fridge.
The
Food Safety officials have warned of cancellation of
registration/licence if these conditions are violated. A period of three
weeks has been allowed within which all juice shops should ensure that
they are equipped to follow all FSSA guidelines.
Food
Safety wing will start inspections on December 1 and juice shops which
are found to be failing in hygiene and safety standards will have to
face legal action, the Food Safety Commissioner has warned.
