Complaints regarding the storage of frozen meat and a foul smell emanating from the house were filed by several residents.
A representative image of chicken meat. (Wikimedia Commons)
Amid rising cases of food-borne diseases and resulting deaths in Kerala, allegedly due to food poisoning, 500 kg of rotting frozen chicken was seized from a house in the Kalamassery Municipality of the Ernakulam district on Thursday, 12 January.
Complaints regarding the storage of frozen meat and a foul smell emanating from the house were filed by several residents, according to an official from the Kalamassery Municipality.
The raid was led by the Health Department of the Kalamasserry Municipality. Chicken from two freezers, ingredients and equipment used for roasting chicken, and “shawarma” were seized, the official said.
The seized chicken would be destroyed and a penalty imposed on the persons running the establishment.
At the time of the raid, only a few employees were present at the venue. The people running the establishment were not there, the official said.
Kalamassery Municipality Secretary Jayakumar PR told PTI that the fine to be imposed would also include the cost incurred by the local body in disposing of the seized meat.
He said the establishment was being run without a licence by a native of the Palakkad district, and that the meat was stored there for supply to restaurants and eateries in Ernakulam for making roasted chicken, “shawai” (grilled chicken) and the popular Mid-Eastern delicacy shawarma.
Another official of the local body, who was part of the raid, said there could be similar establishments in various parts of Kochi city, and inspections were to be conducted to find them out.
Hours before the raids in Kalamassery, Kerala Health Minister Veena George announced instructions for eateries, like having a licence and registration and maintaining hygiene and cleanliness.
The minister told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that every eatery would have to follow the instructions, and that the responsibility of ensuring them would rest with a supervisor.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George. (Facebook)
She further said a hygiene-rating system was also being implemented for hotels, and that a mobile app would be launched this month for consumers to upload photos and videos to ensure that the food served by eateries was fresh and the ambience in the outlet was clean.
Veena said establishments without a licence or registration would not be allowed to operate, and once an eatery was licensed, inspections would be held at regular intervals.
If a licence was suspended, it would be re-issued only after the Commissioner of Food Safety was satisfied that the deficiencies had been rectified.
Besides that, the use of raw eggs for making mayonnaise, which is often served along with dishes like shawarma, is now prohibited in the state, and only pasteurised eggs can be used for making the creamy sauce. Else, vegetarian mayonnaise should be preferred, she said.
Another instruction was to put a sticker on food parcels indicating when it was prepared and by when it should be consumed, said a release from the Health Department. Also, a health card is mandatory for all employees of eateries, said the release.
In events held in auditoriums, only a catering service licensed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India would be permitted to serve food, the minister said.
On 6 January, the Kerala Health Inspectors Union (KHIU) wrote a letter to the chief minister, the health minister, and the Principal Secretary of the state explaining why the government machinery failed — and continues to fail — to ensure the quality of food sold in Kerala.
The Thiruvananthapuram-based union said, the “current system is grossly inadequate” and put forth recommendations to ensure food safety in the state.
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