Health Minister Veena George said that a special task force has been formed for food safety inspection in the state. In the event of an emergency such as food poisoning, the task force will be responsible for its investigation, follow-up and reporting.
The task force is to investigate the stages of food poisoning and take necessary follow-up action and report to the Commissioner and to investigate and report in a confidential manner to prevent adulterated food items before they reach the market. The minister also stated that the special task force consists of Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety, two Food Safety Officers and a Clerk under the leadership of the Deputy Commissioner of Food Safety.
Employees must perform their work with utmost seriousness, collective responsibility and confidentiality. The report of food poisoning and the report of special investigation should be sent to the Commissioner’s office without delay. The Minister stated that once in six months the activities will be evaluated and necessary changes will be made.
The mandate of the Special Task Force is as follows
1. To study food poisoning, food adulteration, their production centers and marketing channels and suggest ways to avoid them.
2. Intervention, investigation, reporting and co-ordination of action for prompt control of food poisoning outbreaks.
3. Identify and take action against establishments operating without license, identify and take action against centers producing substandard edible oil and ghee, identify and take action against establishments using unauthorized artificial colors, identify and take action against manufacturing units and sales of fake organic products, health supplement, food supplement and taking necessary steps on various issues related to food safety and reporting to the Commissioner, conducting necessary investigations, taking action and reporting on complaints about food circulating on social media, and performing other duties as directed by the Commissioner.