Special awareness campaign for food safety launched in Shimla

The Shimla district administration has launched a special awareness campaign aimed at ensuring food safety and hygiene along the National Highway stretch from Shoghi to Narkanda. The campaign, which will run until January 10, focuses on educating key stakeholders such as shopkeepers, hotel owners, dhaba operators and street vendors about the importance of maintaining food quality and complying with regulations.

The decision to launch the initiative was made during a district-level advisory committee meeting, chaired by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anupam Kashyap. The campaign is part of efforts to ensure that food served in Shimla and its nearby tourist spots meet the required standards, especially with the increase in tourist traffic during the peak season. The campaign aims to bring attention to the importance of food hygiene and safety, particularly in public spaces.

As part of this initiative, the district will deploy a “Food Safety on Wheels” mobile food testing lab, which will travel along the highway to conduct surprise inspections. The lab will collect food samples from various establishments and test them for quality and safety. The focus will also be on ensuring that food served in public spaces such as schools, hospitals, PG accommodations, hostels and anganwadi centres comply with prescribed standards. DC Kashyap emphasised that substandard or unsafe food items will not be tolerated for distribution, especially in programmes like mid-day meals, which serve a large number of children.

The DC also urged all stakeholders involved in the food service industry to prioritise food quality and ensure that no compromises are made. He encouraged members of the public to report any food safety concerns directly to the administration.

The administration has already made significant progress in its efforts to improve food safety in Shimla. From January 1 to December 7 this year, in collaboration with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the district issued 2,499 registrations and 289 licences to food-related businesses. In Shimla city, under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation, 415 registrations and 534 licences were granted. Over 300 street vendors were also trained in safe food practices.

Additionally, the district conducted seven awareness camps to educate stakeholders on food safety standards. So far, 86 food samples have been collected for testing, with two samples found unsafe and two others deemed substandard.

With the tourist season in full swing, the DC emphasised the importance of maintaining high food safety standards and assured that strict action would be taken against any violations. The district administration is hopeful that these efforts will contribute to the overall improvement of food safety and hygiene, ensuring a positive experience for both locals and tourists.