Residents want the authorities to establish a continuous monitoring mechanism to ensure food safety, amid the mushrooming of restaurants and street-corner eateries in the city .
Last week, officials from the Food Cell and the Food Safety Unit, under directions from the Civil Supplies Department, carried out surprise inspections at several restaurants and bakeries in the town. The residents, while welcoming such steps, did not want such inspections to be knee-jerk in nature. They advocated a mechanism of constant vigil on eateries.
Food safety teams inspected 15 major restaurants and issued memos to at least four of them for various violations. Stale chicken was found in one of the restaurants, but on the basis of the hotelier’s claim that the meat was meant to be disposed of, only a memo was served. Three other restaurants had been given a few days’ time to correct certain anomalies in documentation, an official in the Food Cell said.
“In the light of reports of deaths and ailments due to the consumption of contaminated food from hotels in certain States, the inspections done by the authorities have to be appreciated. But it should not be a knee-jerk reaction. Such checks should be carried out at regular intervals,” Ratheesh Chandran, a resident of Saram, said. The Civil Supplies Department should constitute a separate team to carry out inspections without causing hindrance to the business environment of hoteliers, he added.
P. Devanathan, of the civil society group People’s Pulse, said the authorities should publicise toll-free numbers for the public to register complaints of contaminated food being served or any violation of the food safety rules. The hotels should also be asked to display such numbers. The toll-free numbers should also be displayed in public places, he said.
The Food Safety Office had a mobile testing vehicle, he said, adding, “The vehicle is not seen anywhere in the town. Displaying the number, and the presence of the mobile vehicle in public places, will act as a deterrent against the sale of stale and contaminated food.”
Anand Gandhiraj, treasurer of the Hotels Association of Pondicherry, said the activities of the department were commendable and helped the consumers. “Our association feels that the Department should use the food safety rules as a tool for guidance and not to harass restaurant owners,” he said.
Superintendent of Police, Food Cell, Rachna Singh, told The Hindu that considering the importance of food safety, the Civil Supplies Department had formed a joint team of officers from the Food Cell and the Food Safety unit to conduct regular checks. The Department formed the teams following adverse reports on food safety in several States.
“In fact, after the recent inspection, the food safety officer received a few complaints, including on the sale of expired food items in bakeries and provision stores. We are acting on those complaints. The inspection has created awareness, and it will continue,” she said. The Civil Supplies Department was also addressing the issue of manpower shortage in the Food Cell. The Department had also agreed to provide testing kits, she added.
