Health Department warns of miscreants impersonating food inspectors

The Health Department of Hoshiarpur issued a warning on Tuesday, after reports emerged of individuals collecting money on motorcycles while falsely claiming to be representatives of the food safety team. District Health Officer Dr Jatinder Bhatia confirmed the issue and clarified that the health department’s food safety inspections were always carried out by a team, not an individual.

Dr Bhatia explained that the food safety team in Hoshiarpur includes himself, food safety officers Vivek Kumar, Abhinav Kumar and Manish Sodhi, along with class-four employees. The team conducts inspections of food items based on guidelines from higher authorities. For these inspections, only government vehicles or the official food safety van are used.

Dr. Bhatia urged food vendors to be vigilant and report any instances of harassment or demands made by individuals claiming to represent the food safety department. — OC