Hyderabad: Incarcerate those involved in food adulteration, demands FGG

Hyderabad: Stating that functioning of the two gazetted Food Inspectors and 22 Food Safety Officers was not making any impact on controlling food adulteration in the city, the Forum for Good Governance (FGG) on Wednesday demanded the municipal authorities to strengthen the machinery to control the food adulteration.

Forum secretary M Padmanabha Reddy said that food adulteration has become a major health hazard in the city. In spite of having a strong Food Safety and Standard Act (FSSA), the implementing machinery was not able to control the adulteration of food, he claimed.

As per an RTI filed by the FGG, there were only two gazetted Food Inspectors and 22 Food Safety Officers in GHMC. The working of these 24 officers was not making any impact on controlling food adulteration. Serious cases like adulteration of edible oils and milk besides food adulteration in hotels and sweet houses were dealt casually and let off with fine though there was a provision for prosecution and imprisonment. At present, there was only one food-testing lab and it was taking a lot of time to give test report. People's cooperation and assistance goes a long way in controlling food adulteration, said Padmanabha Reddy.

The FGG demanded the Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration to review the implementation of FSS Act and also form flying squads to raid the places of offence upon receiving complaints from citizens besides establishing one more food testing laboratory.

The Zonal Commissioners, under whom the Food Safety Officers are working, may be directed to give wide publicity of mobile numbers and email of Food Safety Officers of the area so that citizens can inform them whenever they find food adulteration. Monthly target of cases should be fixed to each Food Safety Officer and his/her working should be reviewed regularly by the GHMC Commissioner, suggested Reddy.