The demand of sweets goes up manifolds during Diwali and so is the supply of ingredients required to make sweets. But there is hardly any mechanism to address the menace of adulteration that is extremely hazardous for the masses. The food safety mechanism present in place in the State is not effective enough to control the dangerous practice before it takes its toll.
The situation can be gauged with the fact that there is no mechanism to check adulteration on the spot. And, a report of samples collected usually takes about 14 days. Food safety thus is more like a damage control in nature than preventive.
“A lab cannot move with us. We have nothing to ascertain adulteration on the spot,” said a Food Safety Officer of Ranchi.
Keeping check on the practice is too casual a business in Jharkhand where food samples collected are too small in number to even think about the existence of any mechanism discouraging people from selling contaminated products especially during festivals. About 27 samples have been collected so far by Food Safety Officers in-charge of Ranchi in raids conducted in last three days. But considering the time taken in generating report on samples collected a consumer is exposed to the risk of food poisoning especially during festivals while culprits make money under the nose of enforcement agencies.
“We have collected samples and will send it for examination and unless we get a report no action can be taken,” said ACMO-1, Ranchi, Bina Sinha.
According to sources about 70 cases of adulteration were reported to the district administration in last 18 months and a fine of Rs1-crore has been imposed in about 40 cases of substandard products collected from different outlets. According to provisions fine of Rs5 lakh is imposed for selling substandard products where as Rs3 lakh is fined for misbranded products and there is a provision of prosecution as well as fine for selling unsafe items.
Food safety comes under the department of Health and health officials in each district are entrusted with the job of monitoring safety of food and verify adulteration by collecting samples which is examined in designated labs. Health officials are assisted by Food Safety Officers (FSOs).
But the real cause that has thrown the food safety mechanism out of order is few overly burdened FSOs finding it difficult to do their job besides hundreds of non-performing FSOs in the State. Enforcement structure as decided for Jharkhand by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) envisages 24 designated and adjudicating officers besides 205 FSOs and one Food Analyst for the State. Ironically, the strength of 205 FSOs include 194 non-descript in-charges of Primary Health Centre who are for namesake as evident by incident of food poisoning reported from Ormanjhi about a week ago where 40 kids fell ill after consuming rotten eggs.
Also, out of the 11 FSOs other than 194, seven are in charge of two districts each where as four FSOs have been given the responsibility of keeping adulteration under check in three districts. Ranchi is looked after three FSOs.
The situation can be gauged with the fact that there is no mechanism to check adulteration on the spot. And, a report of samples collected usually takes about 14 days. Food safety thus is more like a damage control in nature than preventive.
“A lab cannot move with us. We have nothing to ascertain adulteration on the spot,” said a Food Safety Officer of Ranchi.
Keeping check on the practice is too casual a business in Jharkhand where food samples collected are too small in number to even think about the existence of any mechanism discouraging people from selling contaminated products especially during festivals. About 27 samples have been collected so far by Food Safety Officers in-charge of Ranchi in raids conducted in last three days. But considering the time taken in generating report on samples collected a consumer is exposed to the risk of food poisoning especially during festivals while culprits make money under the nose of enforcement agencies.
“We have collected samples and will send it for examination and unless we get a report no action can be taken,” said ACMO-1, Ranchi, Bina Sinha.
According to sources about 70 cases of adulteration were reported to the district administration in last 18 months and a fine of Rs1-crore has been imposed in about 40 cases of substandard products collected from different outlets. According to provisions fine of Rs5 lakh is imposed for selling substandard products where as Rs3 lakh is fined for misbranded products and there is a provision of prosecution as well as fine for selling unsafe items.
Food safety comes under the department of Health and health officials in each district are entrusted with the job of monitoring safety of food and verify adulteration by collecting samples which is examined in designated labs. Health officials are assisted by Food Safety Officers (FSOs).
But the real cause that has thrown the food safety mechanism out of order is few overly burdened FSOs finding it difficult to do their job besides hundreds of non-performing FSOs in the State. Enforcement structure as decided for Jharkhand by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) envisages 24 designated and adjudicating officers besides 205 FSOs and one Food Analyst for the State. Ironically, the strength of 205 FSOs include 194 non-descript in-charges of Primary Health Centre who are for namesake as evident by incident of food poisoning reported from Ormanjhi about a week ago where 40 kids fell ill after consuming rotten eggs.
Also, out of the 11 FSOs other than 194, seven are in charge of two districts each where as four FSOs have been given the responsibility of keeping adulteration under check in three districts. Ranchi is looked after three FSOs.
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