Violation of food safety norms rampant

Notices served on 900 food outlets

Notices have been served on about 900 food outlets, which were found to have violated the FSSAI rules in the district at raids conducted on their premises in the district.

A hotel in Chengannur was ordered to be closed temporarily for breach of food safety norms. An amount of Rs.40,000 has been collected as penalty from the erring units under various provisions of the FSSAI Act.

Seven squads have been formed out of 12 officials drawn from different districts in the State and deputed to various parts of the district as per instructions from the Food Safety Commissioner. Raids were conducted from July 14 at bakeries, provision stores, fruits and vegetable marts, fish and meat stalls, and other food outlets.

Samples of various items were taken from different outlets for analysis at the laboratory for food analysis at Thiruvananthapuram, Joseph Shaji George, Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety Enforcement, Alappuzha, told The Hindu .

The results will be available within 15 days, and action will be taken against those units for selling food substances found to be sub-standard.

The seized items included savouries and packaged food such as coconut oil, tea rusk, chips, cakes, chilly powder, rice powder, ice cream, and biryani. The food samples were mostly from outlets with unhygienic surroundings.

The FSSAI officials will take action only on the basis of laboratory results, he said. There is a likelihood of the stock under suspicion getting sold out by the time the test results come out, he said, in reply to a query. The owners of the outlets can challenge the decision of FSSI in courts.

The temporarily closed hotel in Chengannur has been asked to take measures to meet the FSSAI requirements. The officials will inspect the hotel after two weeks and assess the standards, based on which further action will be taken. The FSSAI team will continue inspection of food outlets as non-compliance of norms including absence of licence and registration under the FSSAI Act, was found to be rampant, the official said.

Raids were conducted from July 14

Food samples sent to lab for analysis