Citizen-led food safety watch teams will be formed at taluk level in Karnataka, says Health Minister

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Health Minister U.T. Khader at the launch of the 'Eat Right' campaign in Bengaluru on Monday.

Minister for Health and Family Welfare U.T. Khader, who launched an “Eat Right” campaign to promote healthy eating habits among citizens on Monday, said citizen-led food safety watch teams will be formed at the taluk level across the State, to act as force multipliers to ensure food safety.

“These teams will include senior citizens, former food safety officials and experienced chefs. An ID card will be issued to them so that they can go and inspect places. If violations are found, they can report to the head office and actions will be taken. The guidelines for these watch teams will be framed and issued soon,” Mr. Khader said.

“Every citizen has the right to eat clean food. Accordingly, all stakeholders must work towards providing clean and hygienic food. At the same time, citizens must also be aware of what they consume in hotels,” the Minister said.

“Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) teams have till now inspected hotels, hostels, dhabas, anganwadis. We will take this inspection forward to places where food is served to people. We will inspect paying guest accommodations too. Young college going students and working women stay in these PGs. When unhygienic food is served to them, they fall sick. They will fall sick and are forced to go back to their homes,” Mr. Khader said.

He gave 10 days for PGs and other places that provide food to rectify their mistakes and follow food safety norms, following which they will be penalised for violations. “Private college hostels, catering centres will be part of this inspection. Food samples from hotels in railway stations, airports and airplanes will be collected for lab analysis in the coming days,” he said.

The Minister also said that the department will soon hold a meeting with the owners of star hotels. “These hotel owners are not our enemies. They have contributed to the economy of the state and country. During the meeting, they can give us suggestions and we will examine whether to include them or not,” he said.

The Minister also announced that the Health and Family Welfare Department will soon organise a food safety conclave with Union government food safety officials and counterparts from other States. “The conclave will discuss, debate and recommendations will be framed around various food safety and standards of consuming meat, chocolates imported from other countries,” he said.

The Karnataka government also launched a QR code-based complaint management system for citizens to report drug and food safety violations. Mr. Khader, who launched it, said reports flagged on violations will be followed up by officials. He said a toll-free number and a dedicated call centre would also be set up soon.

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