Thiruvananthapuram, April 26: Under ‘Operation Matsya,’ a special drive to seize stale fish laced with chemicals, the Food Safety Department has seized 3,645.88 kg of fish which were not fit for consumption from various markets in Kerala for the last few days. To ensure that only safe food reaches consumers, the Food Safety Department is launching a new campaign ‘Good Food is the Right of the Nation’ to detect adulteration of food items in the State, sources said on Tuesday.
Kerala is the first State in every district to have a mobile food testing lab. Therefore, it is possible to quickly identify in all districts whether adulteration has been added. As part of the campaign, inspections in markets and shops will be strengthened. Food items such as fish, coconut oil, curry powder, milk and jaggery will be categorized to ensure high safety standard. A special team led by the Assistant Commissioners of Food Safety will monitor the raids in all districts and the Food Safety Commissioner will coordinate those activities. The campaign will be implemented with the participation of the public.
The public can contact the toll free number 1800 425 1125 if they have a complaint about adulteration of food items. Other contact numbers on district wise are, Thiruvananthapuram 8943346181, Kollam 8943346182, Pathanamthitta 8943346183, Alappuzha 8943346184, Kottayam 8943346185, Idukki 8943346186, Ernakulam 8943346187, Thrissur 8943346188, Palakkad 8943346189, Malappuram 8943346190, Kozhikode 8943346191, Wayanad 8943346192, Kannur 8943346193, Kasaragod 8943346194. UNI
