Ensure registration of schools serving mid-day meals & alcohol vendors: DC

A meeting of the District Advisory Committee on the effective implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 was held recently under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Repaswal at Chamba.

Addressing the meeting, Repaswal emphasised the importance of ensuring the quality of food products in accordance with government-mandated standards to safeguard public health.

He stressed the need for organising training workshops and awareness programmes for all stakeholders to uphold food safety standards.

The Deputy Commissioner instructed the activation of the mobile food testing laboratory available with the department.

He also directed officials to ensure that alcohol vendors in the district obtained food licences under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

He also stressed the immediate registration of schools that were serving Mid-Day Meals without proper licensing.

He further instructed regular inspections of food items sold by street vendors to ensure compliance with safety standards.

To facilitate better communication, Repaswal recommended creating WhatsApp groups to keep food business operators informed about new government directives.

Assistant Commissioner (Food Safety) Deepak Anand presented a detailed report on various departmental activities.

Additional Superintendent of Police Shivani Mehla, Deputy Commissioner of State Taxes and Excise Nutan Mahajan, Chief Medical Officer Vipin Thakur, Deputy Director of Elementary Education Gian Chand and Deputy Director of Agriculture Bhupender Singh were among those who attended the meeting.