Grocery shop owners want check on food adulteration

Tribune News Service

Kotkapura, May 29

Over 3,000 traders of grocery items across the state assembled in Kotkapura today and resolved to fight against the adulteration of food items.

At a state-level conference, they said the menace had reached an alarming level and alleged that some politically connected people were doing a brisk business by selling such food items. They said this posed as a major health risk to people.

They demanded that a food testing laboratory should be opened at the district level and the responsibility of the Health Department should be fixed for the purity of food items.

They said they would support that political party which gives importance to the purity of food items being sold in the state.

“Though Punjab has a high rate of failed food samples in the country but instead of taking any action against manufacturing companies, the Health Department harasses the retailers of grocery items and threaten them with criminal action and fine,” said Omkar Nath Goyal, president, All India Karyana Retailer Federation.

Want food testing lab set up 

They demanded that a food testing laboratory should be opened at the district level and the responsibility of the Health Department should be fixed for the purity of food items.

Corruption rampant: Milk vendors 

At the conference in Kotkapura, milk vendors alleged that some vendors were bribing Health Department officials on a monthly basis, due to which the sale of adulterated milk was going on unchecked in the state.