47 per cent food samples in Punjab fail quality test

Karam Prakash
Tribune News Service 
Patiala, October 17 

Around 47 per cent samples of the food products collected by the Health Department in Punjab were found substandard as these contained poor-quality ingredients. These samples did not meet the food safety standards. 

Out of the 1,429 food samples collected throughout the state 666 failed the quality test in August. In fact, more than 40 per cent of the food samples collected in 16 districts of Punjab did not conform to quality standards. 

With 66 per cent of the food samples failing the quality test, Nawanshahr tops in Punjab, followed by Amritsar where 59 per cent of food samples did not match the quality standards. Interestingly, Patiala, the home district of Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra, is on the third spot with 58.6 per cent food samples failing the quality test.

Moreover, the tall claims of the state government of keeping a vigil on food adulteration have fallen flat because 10 districts did not even achieve their own stipulated target of sample collection. Among the 10 districts, Gurdaspur could collect the least food samples. Out of the target of 100, only 32 samples were collected in Gurdaspur, 46.8 per cent in Patiala and 66 per cent in Tarn Taran. In fact, it is the Health Department, which sets the target for the number of food samples to be collected every month in all districts of the state.

50 per cent of milk, its products substandard

As per documents available with The Tribune, the food testing laboratory in Kharar received 1,357 samples of milk and milk products, including ghee, milk, and paneer, till September 22. 

 Out the total samples, 667 failed to meet the prescribed standards as these were found adulterated with water or fat.