Food Safety Dept to undergo performance audits district-wise in Kerala

The Food Safety Department would undergo a performance audit district-wise in the state to evaluate its enforcement activities, the Kerala government has said.

As the number of people eating from outside is increasing, food safety cannot be compromised and therefore, the department should strengthen its enforcement activities, Health Minister Veena George said.

Speaking at a meeting of the Assistant Commissioners of the Food Safety Department, the minister also said that the government would not allow corruption in the department as it was a bigger offense than adulteration of food.

She said that food safety officials should take action in accordance with law, but not wrong ones.

Strict action would be taken against food safety officials who are corrupt, the minister added, according to the release.

George said that performance audits would be carried out on a district basis in the Food Safety Department and the districts would be ranked based on the outcome.

Performance of all districts would be evaluated regularly, she added.

She also urged the officials, during the meeting, to expedite prosecution proceedings and duly register online the enforcement activities carried out by them, the release said.

The meeting also discussed the problems faced by food safety officials in the field and the minister said that support, including vehicle facility, will be provided as part of strengthening checking at check posts.

The release further said that the Department of Food Safety has carried out 64,692 inspections so far in this financial year, notices were issued to 7,414 institutions and a fine of Rs 1.83 crore was collected from 5,259 establishments.

Besides that, 20,226 surveillance samples and 6,389 statutory samples were collected, 25,437 tests were conducted through mobile labs and steps have been taken to initiate prosecution against violators, it said.

Apart from that, 1,85,448 establishments have been registered and 35,992 have been licensed, the release added.