In a first, hygiene rating for food outlets in Jalandhar

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 8

In a first-of-its-kind initiative to promote sale of hygienic and healthy food products in Jalandhar, food business operators (FBOs) across the district would get hygiene rating as the district food safety team in association with FSSAI has shortlisted as many as 28 FBOs for hygiene rating and high-risk auditing.

District Food Safety Officer Dr Reema Jammu said the hygiene rating and high-risk auditing will start from December 9, as a part of special initiative launched by FSSAI with the intent of ensuring that consumers make informed choices while eating out and also encouraging food businesses to showcase and improve their food hygiene standards.

Drive from today

The hygiene rating will start from December 9 with the intent of ensuring that consumers make informed choices while eating out and also encouraging food businesses to showcase and improve their food hygiene standards. —Dr Reema Jammu, Dist Food Safety Officer

She stated that under this drive, a total of 28 FBOs in the city have been finalised for hygiene rating and 15 for high-risk auditing which will be conducted by the third-party auditing agency, namely TQ Cert Service Pvt Ltd.

Dr Jammu said the district food safety team had launched a unique initiative to promote sale of healthy and hygienic food products by simultaneously initiating enforcement, awareness and training programmes for food business operators across Jalandhar.

She said on the direction of Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr Abhinav Trika, the food safety team had launched an initiative namely ‘Eat Right’ wherein activities like eat right campus, clean street food hub, clean fruit and vegetable market, eat right railway station were being carried out.

She further said several sites had been selected and subsequently registered for pre-auditing, training, final auditing, and final certification.

“Under this special drive hygiene rating, high risk auditing, FOSTAC training and certification of FBOs is also initiated in the district. So far, as many as 200 FBOs had been trained under the FOSTAC programme since October, including 66 from Bhogpur, 66 from Jalandhar City and Cantt, 47 from Nakodar and 21 from Lambra,” she said, adding the basic-level training was also being imparted to these selected FBOs.

Likewise, all chemists, liquor vendors and all those engaged with selling food were asked to get themselves registered/licensed under FSSAI, she added. Dr Jammu also said enforcement activities were being conducted in the district along with all other activities. She said FBOs had been advised not to compromise with the quality of the food items as it would take strict action.

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