Eateries come under scanner in Kozhikode

KOZHIKODE: The officials of the Food Safety Kozhikode here have started inspections in the food business outlets in the districts to take stringent actions against those who have found to be violating the norms in the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The move was taken in the wake of receiving complaints about the unhygienic quality of eateries, exorbitant prices being charged by the shop owners other than the displayed ones.

The move aims at ensuring that the food business operators strictly adhere to the food standards of safety, hygiene and quality norms.

The department had conducted inspections at the stationeries, fruit markets, vegetable markets and collected samples of mangoes, vegetables, coconut oils to check the existence of pesticides and adulteration.

The samples have been sent to its lab to carry out tests. The officials have been conducting inspections at the limits of City Corporation, Koyilandy and Vadakara municipalities and seventy four panchayats.

The officials who have been conducting inspections under its squad is mainly giving stress to quality and hygienic concept of food being served by the hotels and manufacturing units of bakeries and to check the exorbitant prices being charged by the shop owners other than the displayed one.

The inspectors are also checking the adulteration of packaged food products .

P Sivadasan, assistant commissioner, food safety Kozhikode said that the officials have conducted inspections at 60 food business outlets comprising bakeries and hotels within a week.

"We have directed the food business operators to close down their shops which include two bakeries and one hotel for dispensing unsafe and substandard food items violating provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. We have directed the food manufacturing units of the bakeries at Pookkad and one in the limits of Koyilandy to stop manufacturing bakery items and asked the hotelier at Naduvannur to stop its service and directed to improve hygiene quality, '' he said.

"The closed down outlets will reopen only after improving hygienic standard at its kitchens,'' he said.

"We have also served notices to many to attend the awareness class organised by the department to create awareness among them and all of them had attended it,'' he said.

"Our next focus will be on shops selling pan masala and other products near the schools ,'' he said.