SGPC not to let food regulator test ‘parshad’, langar at gurdwaras

Vishav Bharti

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

CHANDIGARH, JULY 25

Giving the thumbs down to the apex food regulator’s plan to check the quality of prasad at religious places, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) said today that it would not allow any agency to check its ‘parshad’ or langar.

Pawan Agarwal, CEO of the Food Safety Standards Association of India (FSSAI), said yesterday that the agency was involving the managements of shrines in helping it implement the food safety management system. Among those mentioned were the Golden Temple, Radha Soami Satsang Beas and Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda.

Talking to The Tribune, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said such a move was against the Sikh Rehat Maryada (code of conduct). “The world knows that our langar is prepared and served while keeping hygiene in mind. The question of allowing any outside agency to examine it doesn’t arise,” he said.

The SGPC controls around 200 gurdwaras in the country, including the Golden Temple.

When contacted, Hussan Lal, Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, Punjab, said, “If we get any communication from the FSSAI, we will look into the matter.”