2 more mobile labs for testing food samples soon: Health min

Thiruvananthapuram: The inspection of the food samples for ensuring food safety will continue strictly, health and family welfare minister Veena George said.

Inaugurating the national seminar being conducted in connection with the National Food Safety Day, the minister said that the testing of food samples is not being conducted only on the basis of some incidents, but will be a continuing process. The calendar for food safety has been modified, and there will be a facility for the general public to upload complaints along with photos. There will be searches and inspections on the basis of the complaints uploaded by the public, the minister said.

The minister said that more food safety laboratories would be opened in the state. At present, there are 14 mobile labs in all 14 districts in the state and there are three regional labs. In addition, one lab each will soon come up in Pathanamthitta and Kannur, the minister said. The minister said that the food habits of the people in the state was leading to an increase in lifestyle diseases and the number of dialysis and transplant centres were correspondingly on the rise too. It is important that people do not reach this stage of needing to undergo dialysis or transplant, for which widespread awareness is required, the minister said.

The campaign undertaken by the food safety department with the motto “good food is the right of the people” has been well received by the people of the state, she said.