Patiala, September 10:
Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal has said that no form of adulteration in food items will be tolerated in Patiala district and strict action will be taken against those found playing with public health. He warned that any person or establishment found selling adulterated, substandard or unsafe food items would face stringent action as per law.
Chairing an important meeting on food safety, Dr Aggarwal directed the Food Safety Department to conduct intensified and stringent checking drives in view of the upcoming festive season. He directed officials to keep a close watch on the quality of sweets, dairy products, khoya, paneer, cooking oil, ghee and other food items, and ensure that samples of suspected products are collected and tested.
Dr Aggarwal said that food adulteration is not only a violation of law but also a serious issue directly linked to public health. He said the primary objective of the district administration is to ensure that people have access to clean, safe and quality food products. He directed food safety officials to take appropriate legal action against establishments violating food safety norms during inspections and simultaneously step up public awareness about food safety.
The Deputy Commissioner also stressed the need for food establishments to collect used cooking oil (UCO)—the oil left after frying—and ensure its proper disposal and utilisation for biodiesel production. He said reusing used cooking oil for cooking can be harmful to health and therefore food establishments must comply with the guidelines issued by the Food Safety Department for its safe collection and proper disposal.
DHO Dr Gurpreet Kaur assured the Deputy Commissioner that, in accordance with the directions of the Punjab Government and the Deputy Commissioner, the checking campaign would continue regularly to ensure the availability of safe and quality food items to the public. She said special priority would be given to checking the quality of sweets and other food products during the festive season.
The meeting was attended by OSD (Urban Development) Mukalin R, Civil Surgeon Dr Shelley Jaitly, District Food Supply Controller Dr Ravinder Kaur, officials from various departments, social representatives, food inspectors, and representatives of Ecoil, a company working in the field of food safety.
