Challenge Persists in Districts Adjoining Haryana and Rajasthan

Spokesman News Service: Chandigarh, November 18: The continuous inspections of food items has resulted in consistent improvement in food sample analysis reports. There is a considerable decrease in food samples ‘not conforming to standards’, informed Mr. KS Pannu, Commissioner Food and Drug Administration Punjab.    

Sharing the analysis reports of past three months, Mr. Pannu informed that overall food samples ‘not conforming to standards’ in August were 46.5 per cent, in September 32.9 per cent and in October the non-conformity has come down to 25.5 percent.

Further divulging into details of milk and milk product analysis which has been the prime focus of food safety , he said that in August 53.39 percent samples failed to conform to standards, in September 42.33 percent while in October the figure has come down to 32.81 percent.

 No doubt there is a consistent decrease in the number of samples that don't conform to standards but with failure of 30% of samples of Milk and Milk Products (MMP) and 25% of the total food samples, the challenge still stands in front of the Food Safety Commissionerate, said he.

 “The detailed study of the analysis reports has brought to fore the fact that the amount of substandard food samples is considerable large in districts adjoining Rajasthan and Haryana. On an average 42 to 45 percent samples from district Faridkot and Fazilka fail to meet the standard. So, the teams in these districts have been advised to be more vigilant and tighten the noose around the adulterators along with breaking the adulterated food supply chain, said Pannu.”