The crackdown on unsafe food in the State as part of a government campaign continued over the weekend, with the Food Safety department conducting inspections on Sunday too.
As the authorities stepped up the drive, 572 eateries were inspected. Action was taken against 10 eateries that did not have licence or registration. Notices were served on 65 shops. The food safety squads also seized 18 kg of meat stored in unhygienic conditions and destroyed. Four samples were sent for analysis, Minister for Health Veena George said in a statement on Sunday.
The government had launched the campaign on May 2 following the death of a 16-year-old girl in Kasaragod owing to food poisoning. In the past seven days, 1,704 inspections were held across the State by food safety officials. Action was taken against 152 shops that did not possess licence or registration. Notices were issued to 531 food joints. As much as 180 kg of meat stored in unhygienic conditions was seized and destroyed, and 129 samples of food sent for testing in food safety labs.
As part of Operation Matsya that was launched towards the end of April, 6,069 kg of stale and chemically preserved fish was destroyed. A total of 2,048 samples collected during 4,026 inspections during this period were sent for inspections.
Operation Jaggery
Inspections were held in 481 samples to detect adulterations in jaggery as part of Operation Jaggery, and 134 surveillance samples collected for laboratory analysis.
The operations against unsafe food would continue in the coming days, the Minister said.
