On the cards: Micro testing of food products in Hoshiarpur

Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, April 9

Under the state government’s Tandarust Punjab Mission, the microbiological testing of food products and other eatables will be started in a few days as Hoshiarpur has got three big refrigerators, a chiller and two carriers.

The refrigerators and other hi-tech apparatus have been received by the District Health Officer, which would immensely be beneficial for sampling and preservation of samples without adding any chemical for increasing their shelf life. Health teams will soon go hi-tech with modern apparatus for all kinds of tests across the district.

Stating this here on Friday, District Health Officer Dr Lakhvir Singh said once these machines became fully functional, the prescribed safety norms would be enforced more efficaciously. With these machines, Dr Lakhvir said, the microbiological analysis of the food samples could be done easily, which was earlier a cumbersome process.

“Now, health teams would not require to add formalin in the samples taken from any place for enhancing their shelf life as with the use of these carriers, chiller and refrigerators the samples could be preserved as it is,” he added.

The District Health Officer also urged the owners of food outlets, manufacturers of food products, especially milk, paneer, curd, cream, meat, fish, etc, to sell only fresh, hygiene and quality products in the larger public interest.

He said under the Tandarust Punjab Mission, strict action would be initiated against those violating the Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006. He said the food products should meet the prescribed quality norms as adulteration and any sort of contamination would not be accepted. Owners and vendors of eating joints/outlets should also maintain the cold chain to and from the places they would procure the raw material and where they preserved the same, he added.

On the directives of the State Food Commissioner Punjab, Dr Lakhvir said, the pace of sampling and testing drive would be accelerated to ensure the availability of pure, hygiene and quality food products.

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