Overview

The food safety department’s specialized task force conducted thorough inspections at catering units in central Kerala in response to the rising number of food poisoning cases and related grievances linked to catering services. On November 1 and 2, 30 squads inspected 151 establishments across the Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Idukki, and Kottayam districts.

Key Findings

Inspectors examined catering units for licenses, employees’ medical fitness certificates, water test reports, pest control standards, general hygiene, cooking materials, and food transportation methods.

The teams visited 32 establishments to collect legal samples for detailed examination, which they sent to laboratories for testing. They issued fines to 58 establishments for various violations, while 13 received notices for rectification and nine firms got improvement notices. The inspections halted operations at eight companies for operating without proper licenses and violating food safety regulations.

The Team

The state food safety commissioner coordinated the inspections, with joint commissioner Jacob Thomas, deputy commissioner Aji S, assistant commissioner Zakir Hussain, and FSO Joseph Kuriyakose providing oversight.

Source: The Times of India