Six mobile food safety labs flagged off

Minister says inspections will be strengthened in the State

Food safety inspections will be strengthened in the State, Health Minister Veena George has said.

Inaugurating six new mobile food safety laboratories here on Tuesday, Ms. George said that Kerala had become the first State with mobile food safety labs in all districts. The functioning of the mobile labs would be strictly monitored by the Deputy Food Safety Commissioner and the labs would be GPS-tagged. Each of these labs would be under the jurisdiction of the respective Food Safety Officers in districts.

The mobile labs flagged off on Tuesday will be deployed in Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Wayanad and Kasaragod.

Apart from food safety inspections, creation of public awareness and training would also be taken up by these mobile labs. The labs will be functional from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.

Public would be notified in advance about the labs’ s travel route, when these would be available at markets or residential areas and about the tests that can be performed.

The labs will promote food safety training amongst Kudumbashree members, anganwadi workers and residents’ associations and popularise ‘magic kits’, which will help people detect adulteration through simple tests at home.

Ms. George spoke about the important role of food and diet in determining one’s health and said that the right diet and lifestyle could help keep away most lifestyle diseases.