Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation dumps 100kg stale food in a week, imposes Rs 15k fine

Bhubaneswar: In a drive against sale of stale food, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s food safety wing dumped 100 kg of stale food in the past week and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on hotels, eateries, and fast food vendors.

The drive is being carried out to check food contamination during the monsoon to prevent diseases like jaundice and diarrhoea, BMC officials said.The inspection was carried out at 17 locations in the city, from where multiple samples were taken for laboratory testing, the reports of which are awaited. Foor items that had gone stale and were stored in unhygienic conditions were destroyed. The surprise and random food quality inspection has been going on since diarrhoea cases were reported in the city, officials said.“In the past week, we checked more than 200 food stalls selling fast food and sweets. The storage of cooked food in unhygienic conditions is also a concern, and this was checked at restaurants. The vendors have been warned not to serve stale food. If the hotels repeat the practice of serving stale food, they will be slapped with closure notices along with a penalty,” designated food safety officer Satyajit Patel told TOI.

For inspection during the monsoon, two teams have been entrusted with the job to carry out checks and collect samples. “Earlier sample tests revealed bacterial contamination. Latest sample reports are yet to come. The Sanitation and Hygiene Inspection for Neat Environment (SHINE) team and food enforcement squad of BMC are also involved in the inspection,” said a BMC officer.Food safety squads said fast food items and some local delicacies are mostly dumped at the source itself.

“So far, bacterial contamination was detected in three food samples that were sent in early monsoon. Now, we will randomly check panipuri (gup-chup) and dahi bara-aloo dam stalls to find out if the water they use is contaminated,” Patel added. Laboratory tests can also ascertain if any colour and preservatives that are not permissible in food are being used.Earlier, the inspection teams checked eateries at Unit-I, Unit-II, Rasulgarh, and Palasuni areas. “We want to ensure that the vendors don’t store stale food. They usually store leftover food overnight and mix it up with freshly cooked food. This makes food unhygienic for consumption,” an officer said.