Relation between Chennai corporation, food department turns sour over ripe mangoes

CHENNAI: If mangoes ripened using chemicals isn't bad enough, two government agenciesmandated to prevent such health hazards are now fighting with each other over procedures and powers. 

At loggerheads are Chennai Corporation and thestate food safety department. The food safety commissioner recently wrote to the commissioner of municipal administration, urging the city corporation not to interfere with the department's work. 

While food safety officials say they are entitled to conduct raids under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, the corporation's health department officials argue that they are in charge of maintaining hygiene of food products. 

TOI has a copy of a letter sent by food safety commissioner Kumar Jayant to the commissioner of municipal administration, saying local bodies giving food licences is in contravention to the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. It would have been good if the two agencies were vying with each other to make our food safer, but the results don't indicate that: Cancer-causing calcium carbide continues to be used by mango traders in the city. The latest incident to miff the food safety department is the corporation's health department seizing 1.5 tonnes of artificially ripened mangoes from Kodambakkam on Monday. The reason: The food safety department was not kept in the loop. 

"The civic body doesn't have any right to seize food items after the FoodSafety Act came into force. But the corporation has been seizing food items despite a letter from our department to the municipal administration department to regulate such un authorized acts," said an official. The corporation has been seizing artificially ripened mangoes, rotten meat, and some banned tobacco products. 

The civic body's health department says its officers have to step in since the food safety department doesn't have the resources to conduct raids. "We have the rights to check sanitary and hygienic conditions at eateries. We cannot ignore other food items when we receive a complaint from people," said an official. 

Consumer activists say the two agencies should be working in tandem. "There should be a combined drive to curb the sale of low quality food products. There is rampant sale of artificially ripened mangoes across the city . But food safety department checks only at Koyambedu and T Nagar," said V S Suresh, a consumer activist. 

Food safety department officials confide that there is shortage of hands to conduct inspections.