Food safety at stake

A separate authority for food safety was established by the government, comprising a Food Safety Commissioner and Food Safety Officers, to check adulteration. But, the response to grievances in this connection is disappointing. I had lodged a complaint on January 19 with the Food Safety Officer of North Circle in Kozhikode that the jaggery I had purchased from a hypermarket in the city was suspected to be adulterated. My request to take its samples for testing and to freeze the sale of the product did not yield any action from the officer. I contacted the officer in person with the same request and there was no action for two-and-a-half months. Then I took up the issue with the Food Safety Commissioner in Thiruvananthapuram. Reply is awaited.

C. Chandrasekharan, Kozikode