In view of festive season, mobile lab tests 138 food samples in Kullu

As many as 138 samples have been tested through the Mobile Food Testing Lab (Food Safety on Wheel) of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department at Kullu on Wednesday.

The Kullu Food Safety Officer said, “Erring shopkeepers, who were not following food safety rules, were given strict instructions and appropriate action was taken.”

Thirteen enforcement samples of various food items and sweets were also sent to the laboratory for testing.

The Food Safety Officer is inspecting and taking samples of food items and sweets in view of the festive season. They were also making people aware about food safety. The residents lauded the move, especially as there were reports about the usage of harmful material in production of sweets ahead of Diwali.

A Kullu resident, Anil, said most of the sweets sold during Diwali come from the neighbouring states and strict vigil by the department was necessary to safeguard consumers’ health.

Another local resident, Rakesh, said a large number of eateries had been set up in the ongoing trade fair of Dasehra. He said that the department should regularly check the hygiene and standards of these eateries.

Another local resident, Neha, said that she found a dead roach in a ‘Raj Kachori’ she ordered from a famous restaurant in Akhara Bazar area of Kullu town.

“The department concerned should spread consumer awareness and provide helpline numbers where the matter can be reported immediately. The Mobile Food Testing Lab is a good option for immediate action on such blunders that compromise with the health of the consumers,” she said.

Bhuntar resident Vijay alleged that a cooked rat was recently found in a ‘dal’ by a consumer in Bhuntar and very minimal action was taken on the eatery and that too after the video of the incident got viral on social media.

“Strict laws should be enforced on such violators, who put the health of consumers at stake, so that they do not repeat their follies and others also learn a lesson,” he said.