PNS | DEHRADUN
The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced strict measures against food adulteration ahead of Holi, including a fine of up to Rs five lakh and imprisonment of up to six years for those found guilty.
The FDA commissioner R Rajesh Kumar stated that the FDA has issued a comprehensive standard operating procedure, instructing officials concerned to take immediate and strict action against adulteration. He informed that FDA has launched a statewide campaign to ensure the availability of pure and safe food products, with a special focus on dairy items like milk, mawa, paneer, and khoya ahead of Holi. He stated that authorities are closely monitoring sensitive districts such as Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar, where extensive sampling and testing are being conducted. At the Asharodi border in Dehradun, strict inspections are being carried out on incoming dairy products.
The FDA has directed district magistrates and designated officers to enforce the SOP under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and its 2011 regulations, Kumar said. He stated that actions the FDA will review actions taken during the campaign and habitual offenders will be identified for strict legal proceedings. Officials are required to submit daily reports of enforcement activities to the FDA office in Uttarakhand, he said. The additional food commissioner Tajbir Singh Jaggi stated that the State has been divided into three categories for effective monitoring. The FDA has deployed mobile food testing labs in selected districts like Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar, Pauri and Almora, among others, for on the spot sampling and analysis, allowing surprise inspections at any time.
Jaggi also stated that the FDA is employing decoy operations, enforcement teams and surveillance to track adulteration. These teams will also educate consumers about adulterated food items. Raids will be conducted based on intelligence inputs and local police will assist in cases where resistance is expected. He said that dairy based and other food products are being sampled and sent to laboratories for testing as their consumption increased during festivals. Businesses operating without valid licenses will be subject to strict legal consequences. The FDA is also monitoring border areas adjacent to Uttar Pradesh and on the spot sample testing vehicles have been deployed to detect adulteration immediately.
The FDA has also set a vigilance cell to respond to complaints and take immediate action. Special inspection campaigns are being conducted in Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar districts as FDA receives maximum adulteration complaints from there, he added.
