Food safety raids: four eateries shut down in Kochi

An official inspects food at a hotel in Kochi on Monday.

Rs. 1.64 lakh collected as fine by Food Safety officials during raids

Four eateries were shut down and a total fine of Rs. 1.64 lakh was collected by Food Safety officials in raids conducted on Monday in five to six areas in the district.

In the city, three restaurants were closed down, two in Kaloor and one near the North Railway Station, while one eatery in Paravur was also asked to down shutters for grave violations of food safety standards.

The establishments that were closed down include Hotel Sweekar, Hotel Zaya, Hotel Saradha Bhavan in the city and Saravana Bhavan in Paravur.

Restaurants were found flouting basic hygiene standards set by the Food Safety and Standards Act, said an official of the Food Safety Commissioner. All the hotel owners were made aware of the norms eight months ago in a raid-cum-campaign run by the Food Safety Commissioner in the State. All establishments were provided a list of 30 parameters in Malayalam to be followed in their units to cook and keep food in a safe and hygienic manner.

Assistant Food Safety Commissioners Joseph Shaji George, V. K. Beena, P. Sivadas, Sugunan and T. K. Radhakrishnan led five squads in the city, Tripunithura, Aluva, Paravur/Vypeen and Muvattupuzha. Orders to close down were issued to hotels that were violating norms which said that no foul smell or waterlogging or dish-washing and toilet facilities should be found near where food was being prepared and kept. The place should also have a clean environment that kept away flies and other insects.

There are also other norms like keeping food closed, keeping non-vegetarian and vegetarian food separate, displaying licence, maintaining a register of all ingredients bought for cooking and so on. Violation of these norms invited fines.

Fines were imposed depending upon the gravity of the violation. In the city the food safetyofficials collected Rs. 42, 000 from 11 inspections, in Tripunithura, Rs. 52,000 was collected from nine inspections, in Aluva, nine inspections brought in Rs. 34,000, in Paravur/Vypeen Rs. 13,000 came from 13 inspections and Rs. 25,000 was collected from 12 inspections in Muvattupuzha.