stale food
Kolkata: The state has three laboratories to analyse 2,758 samples collected during the week-long food safety drive, a mammoth task given that all results must be ready within two weeks and with many samples still arriving at the laboratories. Officials said the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Act makes it mandatory to submit reports within 14 days of sample collection.
Samples were collected only if the food safety inspectors suspected something wrong in the products, but the exact problem could not be determined by visual inspection or with on-the-spot analysis, according to govt officials. The results of sample analysis become important if the govt wants to take penal action against an errant establishment,” said another state govt official. Officials said the laboratory tests will flag samples that do not conform to FSSAI guidelines. Non-conforming food means food that is “unsafe to eat”, or it is “sub-standard” or “there is defect in labelling”, said a KMC official. It is also used as an illegal adulterant to brighten the appearance of turmeric,” said an official.
Two of the laboratories are in Kolkata — one of them run by KMC and the other, West Bengal Public Health Laboratory on Convent Lane, is under the state health department. The third lab — Regional Food Testing Laboratory — is in Siliguri. The state health department runs the Siliguri lab, too. Explaining one such case, a health department official explained: “During a visit, a team suspected adulteration in edible oil, but it was not possible to come to a conclusion without lab tests. Samples were collected from this establishment. “On-spot action like destruction of stale food or expired products is a better deterrent. Two types of samples were collected during the food safety drive — surveillance samples, which were numerous, and regulatory samples. Penal action can be taken only based on regulatory sample results, which are collected under stricter protocol. “Unsafe food is highly injurious to health. Food containing Metanil Yellow, a dye, is unsafe. Metanil Yellow is carcinogenic and is often used in biryani instead of saffron.