Thiruvananthapuram: Food safety intelligence to check adulteration

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Commissionerate of Food Safety has constituted a special intelligence wing for better enforcement of the food safety Act.

Three special intelligence squads that have been formed will conduct investigations and gather information on adulteration.

Joint commissioner of food safety (administration and legal) K. Anil Kumar told DC that the intelligence wing will function just like that of the police and the revenue. “This would enable us to implement the Act more effectively in the state,” he said. The wing was formed with the existing staff strength, he added.

The intelligence squads will keep track of the source of adulteration and other malpractices happening at various levels of food production and processing.

A top official of food safety department said that the operations of the squads would be discrete. “Detailed reports based on the information collected by the wing would be sent to district offices of food safety. Our routine squads would be able to act more effectively based on the information provided by the intelligence wing,” said the official.

The intelligence squads would track down the source of adulteration and give tip-off, he said.