Hyderabad Civic body has no labs to test food

According to the Food Safety and Standards Act 2011, the Corporation should have adequate number of food inspectors to monitor quality in hotels and collect samples for examination on a regular basis. Licences to caterers should only be given after a standard quality test is done, but the regulations are hardly followed.

With more and more food poisoning cases being reported in the twin cities, health expert advise people to stay away from outside and stored food.

In November, the GHMC has conducted a single inspection and black-listed two hotels in Toli Chowki and fined a few in Mehdipatnam. The city, however, has more than 22,000 food joints.

“GHMC collects food samples and gives them to the Institute of Preventive Medicine for quality check. However, the issue is that the Corporation is facing a staff crunch. At present, there are only four food inspectors for the entire jurisdiction who are helped with staff of various department.

There is no chief of the health inspectors as well. GHMC would need another 25 food officers, a circle should have at least one inspector,” said authorities of the health wing.

Hotels violating norms are supposed to be fined and even seized. There is a separate magistrate’s court for these cases. Following the Food Safety Act, the Corporation, during inspections, first checks the manner in which the food is cooked (taking samples of the materials used), then the way it is served and stored.

Dr H. Kishan, general physician at Apollo Hospital said, “Food poisoning is a usual thing. Junk, uncooked and stored (paneer, mushrooms and meat) food and anything prepared on the streets should not be consumed.

Bacterial infection may also transmit through food. One should insist on mineral or boiled water. One should be careful while consuming stored meat as well. On an average, I witness two such cases in a day.

Many had complained of food poisoning after the L.B. Stadium Champions League match; people who had sandwiches and cool drinks were the most affected, many were admitted as well.