The special squads constituted by the Food Safety department to monitor the Onam market have exposed 16 unlicensed food processing and distribution units in Kozhikode district, which were dealing with the supply of unsafe food flouting safety regulations fixed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority.
The illegal operators were spotted after inspecting 383 shops in the last 10 days following complaints from various registered entrepreneurs and catering units. Five special squads were part of the flash inspections that led to the closure of all suspected units.
Apart from serving closure notice, hefty fines were imposed on other 33 shops which were held for other safety rule violations. Also, rectification notices were issued to the owners of 42 shops. Special squad members said further action would be taken based on the lab results of 76 samples recently collected from suspected spots.
“Unlicensed operations will be taken up very seriously and will be communicated to the Revenue Divisional Office courts concerned for further action. Violation of food safety norms can attract fines up to ₹10 lakh,” said A. Sakeer Hussain, Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety department. He added the rules would be equally applicable for all those who deal with seasonal food fests, catering units, and delivery of Onam Sadya.
A few days ago, the All Kerala Caterers’ Association staged strong protests, alleging the uncontrolled entry of unregistered food distribution units into the Onam market. They claimed these illegal operators were undermining the livelihood of approved caterers during festival seasons. Their main demand was to halt all unregistered businesses in the food industry during the Onam season.
Published - September 13, 2024 11:52 pm IST
