Health minister said that the government would not allow corruption in the department as it was a bigger offence than adulteration of food.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George. (Facebook)
The Food Safety Department in each district in the state will come under the scanner with top officials set to audit their performance so as to evaluate their enforcement abilities, the Kerala government has said.
As the number of people eating out in the state is increasing steadily, food safety cannot be compromised and, therefore, the department should strengthen its enforcement activities, Health Minister Veena George said on Tuesday, 21 February.
Speaking at a meeting of the assistant commissioners of the Food Safety Department, the minister also said that the government would not allow corruption in the department as it was a bigger offence than adulteration of food.
She said that food safety officials should take action in accordance with the law, but not the wrong ones.
Strict action would be taken against food safety officials who are corrupt, the minister added, according to the release.
George said that performance audits would be carried out on a district basis in the Food Safety Department and the districts would be ranked based on the outcome.
Performance of all districts would be evaluated regularly, she added.
She also urged the officials, during the meeting, to expedite prosecution proceedings and duly register online the enforcement activities carried out by them, the release said.
The meeting also discussed the problems faced by food safety officials in the field and the minister said that support, including vehicle facility, will be provided as part of strengthening checking at check posts.
The release further said that the Department of Food Safety has carried out 64,692 inspections so far in this financial year, notices were issued to 7,414 institutions and a fine of ₹1.83 crore was collected from 5,259 establishments.
Besides that, 20,226 surveillance samples and 6,389 statutory samples were collected, 25,437 tests were conducted through mobile labs and steps have been taken to initiate prosecution against violators, it said.
Apart from that, 1,85,448 establishments have been registered and 35,992 have been licensed, the release added.
Earlier, in January, a series of food poisoning cases were reported across the state which led to the death of at least one and the hospitalisation of several others.
Many eateries were sealed following the inspections that were ordered after the reported incident.
In the wake of the food poisoning reports, the Kerala Health Inspectors Union (KHIU) has written a letter to the chief minister, health minister, as well as 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.
According to the letter by the KHIU written on 8 January, it is necessary to carry out accurate food hygiene inspections in hotels, restaurants, fish and meat distribution stalls, fruit and vegetable stores, markets, poultry farms, and night-time eateries to effectively prevent infectious diseases.
However, it was alleged that the current system in Kerala was inadequate for the same.
Following this, the government introduced health cards and made them mandatory from 16 February for all employees working in food-related industries.
The employees should be certified by a registered medical practitioner that they are free of contagious diseases and open wounds.
The health card is compulsory for employees of restaurants, hotels, catering firms and other establishments involved in cooking, serving, distributing and selling food items.
Although health cards were already required for employees involved in the preparation of food, there were no adequate inspections conducted to ensure the rule is followed.
The order has made it mandatory for all staff members in hotels, irrespective of whether they are involved in the preparation or serving of food.
“The health card is mandatory for all staff in all establishments that are associated with cooking, distributing and sale of food. The cleanliness and the health card will be inspected by the officials at regular intervals and stern action will be taken against violators,” the health minister’s office said in a statement earlier.
The health certificate of employees obtained from a doctor should be kept in the establishment itself, the order said. The government had banned the sale of food items without the “best before label”.
“Strict action will be taken against those who distribute food without such labels carrying details including date of cooking, packing and the best before date and time in the label,” the statement said.
(With PTI inputs)
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