June 7, Thiruvananthapuram, BPNS
Now the public could corroborate their complaints against eateries that follow unsafe/unhealthy practices with photos or videos. This new interface, which is expected to launch soon, will bring more transparency and accountability among the food business units operating in the state.
At the same time, the Food Safety Department has decided to continue its crackdown against adulterated and unhygienic foods. The inspections which had slowed down got reinvigorated following the death of a teenage girl last month due to food poisoning at Kasargod.
“Good food is the right of the people. There is a perception that food inspections were conducted following a mishap. This idea will get busted. Giving more power to the public they could complain against eateries serving unhealthy food with photos or videos. Any kind of complaints will be viewed seriously and follow-up actions will be ensured,” said Veena George, state health minister.
The minister also added that the campaign launched by the department against adulterated fish – operation Matsya – got a good response from the public.
“The other day 9,600 kg of rotten fish was seized in Anjuthengu. A total of 6000 inspections were conducted as part of operation Matsya. Vigil at check posts was also strengthened. Due to that, the flow of adulterated fish of the state from other states has lessened,” said Veena.
At the same time, the Food Safety Department said that the preliminary work of grading eateries as per certain parameters and publishing their details on the website has begun. They also added that whether the eatery is big or small doesn’t matter and all that matters most is those who set good models by serving safe food to the people.
