Health Min orders Punjab Food Safety admin to crack whip against food adulteration mafia

Chandigarh, Sept 19 (UNI) Punjab Health Minister Brahm Mohindra today issued strict instruction to the State food safety administration to keep an eagle’s eye on the production of food items besides conducting random sampling of the food items and selling of food like sweets, fast food, packed food and bakery items. District Health Officers and assistant food commissioners have been mandated to take stern legal action against such anti social elements who play with the lives of the innocent citizens by selling adulterated food items. 

These instructions were issued by the Minister while chairing high level meeting of Food Safety Administration of state and district authorities here. He said that it is a matter of serious concern that many manufactures are indulging in the producing food items using harmful chemical and contaminated ingredients which causes illness to the consumers in the state. He said erring sellers or manufacturer will not spared at any cost and there is no laxity for the mafia who are running the trade of adulterated food items. 

Mr Mohindra said that instructions have also been issued to all SSPs to provide security to concerning officers for conducting raids at odd time. He also instructed inter-district teams at head office to conduct the special drive against adulteration in the field. He said that during this drive, special checking point would be set at Punjab’s border areas to break the supply line of adulterated food like khoya, ghee and other food items. He instructed the all officers to ensure that small vendors may not feel harassment on the name of food adulteration. 

He said especially, cold stores wherein bulk of food products have been kept, and dedicated places of production like sweet and bakery items must be checked. He said that all cold stores for storage and manufacturing places should be neat and clean. Mr Mohindra said in such cases, where food seems to be unsafe for human consumption, articles of food must be seized and send to the laboratory. The Minister also asked the officers to share the obstacles faced during the raids and sampling for further departmental reforms in the department. He said soon, a dedicated app will be launched by the department to bring transparency in the functioning of food safety department.