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Aman Sood
Tribune News Service
Patiala, August 30
About one-third of the food samples collected by the Health Department and the police across Punjab in the past fortnight have failed to meet the prescribed standards. However, none has been declared “unfit for human consumption”, even as expired products were being sold.
As per documents available with The Tribune, the food testing laboratory in Kharar received 904 samples of milk products, including ghee, milk and paneer, till August 22. Of the 364 samples whose test reports were prepared today, 322 were found substandard (containing poor-quality ingredients) or not conforming to food safety standards.
Three samples were found adulterated with water or fat. The sampling has confirmed that four samples were “misbranded”; which means that inferior products were passed off as those of a particular brand available in the market by using branded labels.
A senior officer associated with food and milk testing in the state said Punjab was one of the biggest producers and consumers of milk products, but the state needed a special laboratory to test “outside mixed fat in the form of urea, detergent, refined oil or other substances harmful to health. “At present, these tests are done in Haryana, Karnataka and Gujarat,” the officer said.
Mission Tandarust Punjab Director Kahan Singh Pannu told The Tribune that the test reports of samples collected from manufacturers where detergents and refined oil were seized were awaited. “As of now, the reports state that the products (whose samples were tested) sold across the state are of inferior quality and do not meet the standards prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI),” he said.
Pannu said the sampling reports would be sent soon to Additional Deputy Commissioners, who would ensure that the erring parties were fined heavily. “We have powers to impose a fine of Rs 10 lakh per sample,” he said.
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