DINAKARAN NEWS

On-spot testing vans keeping check on food adulteration

Srinagar, Jan 21: To check food adulteration, the Drug and Food Control Organisation (DFCO) claims to have made four Mobile Food Testing Vans functional in Kashmir division.

According to a government report, five well-equipped vans have been procured through J&K Medical Supplies Corporation in 2017-2018.

Besides, Rs 6 crore was released for strengthening the existing Food Testing Laboratories at Jammu and Srinagar in 2016-17.

The van comes fully equipped with gadgets such as a milk analyser, hot air oven, hot plate, mixer grinder, digital weighing scale, power generator, air conditioner, and many more.

These vans are used to tests common adulterants in milk, water, edible oils, and other food items, and make it possible to draw on-the-spot samples and generate instant reports of the analysis.

The vans make rounds of city and other districts to collect samples for quality tests.

Moreover, the department has deputed a mobile food testing team consists of a food safety officer, lab technician, and a van driver to handle the vans.

“We have a food safety officer, technician and a driver. We don’t need more staff for these vans,” said Deputy Commissioner Food Safety Kashmir, Irfana Ahmed.

As per her, four vans are functional in Kashmir division, running on different routes and districts.

“We have vans at the division level. We are sending these vans to different districts and are also covering different areas of the city. Recently, we have sent these food testing vans to Jawahar Nagar, Raj Bagh and Parimpora. People who want to test the food products can test freely with the help of these vans,” she said.

Jammu and Kashmir Drug Controller, Lotika Khajuria, said, “The mobile food testing vans have been kept for surveillance and awareness. One van has been provided by food safety authority of India. Three are procured by state government.”

She said they depute these vehicles to check sale of substandard food items in markets.

“These vans check milk products, spices, edible oils, and colouring agents. If substandard food is found, our inspectors carry out crackdowns. These vans are not run daily, but we have chalked out a timetable for them,” she said.

The mobile vans, as per FSSAI, are meant to strengthen the country’s food testing infrastructure and “enhance surveillance activities and outreach even in far-flung areas”.

KMC to bring out mobile food quality checking vehicle

Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will soon introduce a mobile food quality checking vehicle in the city to strengthen its drive for ensuring quality food. The mobile vehicle will travel to different parts of the city and will check the quality of food.

The necessary nod from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has already reached the Health department of the civic body.

"It will not only give teeth to our drive in checking the quality of food with this mobile unit, but will also allow common people to check the quality of food through the infrastructure available in the mobile vehicle. However, the common people have to pay a fee for checking their food," Member, Mayor-in-Council (Health) Atin Ghosh said.

As per sources in the KMC, it was FSSAI who had given the proposal to the state government for using such a mobile vehicle for checking quality of food.