INDIA – The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials to maintain continuous surveillance of street food, in order to prevent food adulteration and enhance food safety.
The FSSAI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Kamala Vardhan Rao led a team of FSSAI officials on a visit to the city meant to promote the Eat Right India campaign, an initiative undertaken by the FSSAI since 2018 in order to combat negative nutritional trends and hence improve public health in India.
Speaking at a meeting with senior officials including Food Safety Commissioner Swetha Mohanty, Director of the Institute of Preventive Medicine C. Sivaleela, Additional Commissioner for Health & Sanitation Santhosh Badavath, Deputy Director of the FSSAI Rakesh Kumar, and others, he suggested that Food Safety officials conduct extensive street food inspections and advocate for the right to eat.
He urged the food safety inspectors to continuously monitor the storage requirements, the oil, and food colors used in food preparation.
Mr. Kamala encouraged the officials to speed up the certification process for the food sold in temples, restaurants, and fast food outlets, saying that the Central government is prepared to offer the food safety labs, infrastructure, technology, and information exchange needed for completing food safety testing.
He mentioned the colors and flavors found in Basmati rice and tea, both of which have the potential to be adulterated.
Along with the quality of the oil, salt, and milk used in food preparation, the condition of the power source used to chill meats that have been stored must also be checked.
All public hospitals and schools should serve high-quality meals that are wholesome and healthy, said the CEO.
Through the Eat Right School initiative, awareness of food safety, nutrition, and hygiene should be raised among schoolchildren, according to The Hindu.
A campaign to raise awareness about millet as a healthy food option should be launched in accordance with the UN General Assembly’s resolution to celebrate the year as Millet Year.
People should be sensitized in order to curb the indiscriminate use of pesticides. He asked the officials to expedite the process of issuing a food safety license.
The FSSAI Chief has also requested that the GHMC adopt the regulator’s “Food Safety on Wheels” program and launch mobile units for food testing in order to increase accessibility.
Telangana is currently ranked 18th in the nation for food safety, according to Ms. Swetha Mohanty, who promised to take steps to move it up the rankings.
She stated that Eat Right program will be implemented in schools and hospitals, and multilingual display boards promoting food safety will be built.
In government schools, Health clubs will be set up, and a significant millets campaign will be launched.
Measures will be taken to encourage widespread female involvement in the Eat Right program.
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