PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
Keeping Navratri festival in mind, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) in Dehradun has intensified the checking drive for food items, especially those used during fasting.
A meeting was held on Thursday in the Patel Nagar industrial area where food safety officials and members of the Halwai Committee discussed the quality of food served in restaurants. Officials instructed restaurant owners to use only packaged Kuttu (buckwheat) flour, check proper labelling and avoid using expired food items. They also asked them to maintain hygiene while preparing food.
The food safety teams also carried out inspections in different areas of Dehradun, including Hanuman Chowk, Arhat Bazaar, Bhaniyawala, Doiwala, Ranipokhari and Selaqui. During the inspection, no open sale of Kuttu flour was found in some areas. Officials, however, collected samples of kuttu flour and water chestnut flour from different shops and sent them for testing.
In total, eight samples were collected during the drive and sent to the laboratory for quality checks. The officials have appealed to people to buy only packaged and properly labelled food items and ensure they are FSSAI certified. The department said that such checking drives will continue for the remainder of the festival to ensure safe food for everyone.
