Hoteliers, bakery owners told to follow food safety Act

FOR BETTER HEALTH:M. Jagadish Chandra Bose, District Designated Officer, Food Safety Wing, addressing a seminar in Ramanathapuram on Thursday.

District Food Safety Wing of Food Safety and Drug Administration Department has warned hoteliers and bakery owners that they will face proceedings under the Food Safety and Standards Act if they sell misbranded, substandard and unsafe food items to consumers.

Addressing an awareness seminar on ‘Food safety’ here on Thursday, Jagadish Chandra Bose, District Designated Officer, Food Safety Wing, said hoteliers and bakery owners should be extremely guarded against selling packaged food items without following the provisions of the Act.

He said when they sold packed food items they should ensure that the pack contained the ingredients, nutritious contents, batch number, lot number, date of manufacturing and date of expiry as per the provisions of the Act.

If they were charged with selling misbranded and substandard food items, they would be required to appear before the District Revenue Officer (DRO), the adjudicating authority, and face trial. If they were charged with selling unsafe food, they would be tried before the Judicial Magistrate Court, he said.

Stating that all those selling food products should obtain licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act by August 4, 2016, he said hoteliers and bakers should be doubly cautious against adding synthetic colours and preservatives when they made food items.

The bakers should be aware that potassium bromate/ iodate and sodium chromate were banned in bread making, he said.

The seminar, jointly organised by Ramanathapuram District Hotel, Bakery, Mess and Tea Stall Owners’ Association and Food Safety Wing, was attended among others by V. Subbaraman, association district president, and P. Venkatasubby, district secretary.