Key Update

Acting on public complaints about the wholesale supply of low-quality snacks, Food Safety squads have intensified inspections across Kozhikode. The drive targets units that violate hygiene norms and compromise food safety standards. In a recent operation, officials shut down four suspected units and issued notices to several others. Authorities initiated legal action against units that allegedly supplied substandard snacks to major hotels. Early morning inspections revealed the use of contaminated water and inferior edible oil in unhygienic conditions.

Spike Ahead of Ramzan

Officials have noticed an increase in small-scale snack production units ahead of Ramzan. Many hotels and wayside eateries prefer these suppliers because they offer lower prices. However, the growing number of unregulated units has affected genuine entrepreneurs, including women engaged in home-based snack production. N. Raseena, a food entrepreneur from Karaparamba, said strict enforcement would protect fair traders and curb the operations of unlicensed units. During inspections, squads found that several units operated late at night to complete early morning distribution. Most products carried no labels, making traceability difficult.

Kozhikode Tops Adulteration Cases

In 2024, Kozhikode recorded the highest number of food adulteration cases in Kerala. Of the 282 cases registered, 137 were prosecution cases filed before Judicial First Class Magistrate Courts, while 145 were adjudication cases handled by Revenue Divisional Offices. Laboratory analysis showed jaggery among the most adulterated items. Last year, officials conducted 14,363 inspections and registered over 270 serious violation cases, with junk food vendors and certain wayside eateries among the offenders.

To improve compliance, the department introduced a grading system based on hygiene, safe water handling, complaint redressal, and transparency measures. More than 100 hotels in the city have completed the grading process with satisfactory ratings.

Source: The Hindu