Food safety team inspects street

Hoshiarpur/Oct 18/Daljeet Ajnoha — A food safety team inspected street food vendors in Mahilpur as part of the Health Department’s ongoing drive to ensure clean, safe and quality food for the public. No vendor was found using artificial food colour in juices during the inspection.
Acting on the directions of Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, Punjab, Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar, Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain and Civil Surgeon Dr Mandeep Kamal, the team was led by District Health Officer Dr Jatinder Bhatia. Food Safety Officer Ishan Bansal and his team checked street food and juice vendors in the Mahilpur area.
Hygiene advisory issued
Vendors were advised to maintain strict hygiene while preparing and serving food, use dustbins for proper waste disposal, and wear gloves and caps while handling food items. The team also urged them to keep food-preparation areas clean, avoid open dumping of waste, prevent contamination and follow personal hygiene practices.
Officials said nearly all street food vendors inspected were wearing caps. Juice vendors were specifically checked for the use of artificial food colour, but none was found using it.
Checks to continue
The food safety team directed vendors to continue complying with prescribed hygiene and food safety standards. The department said inspections and awareness activities would continue to ensure food quality, cleanliness and safety in public interest.
The drive follows recent enforcement action in the district, where the Health Department seized expired food items, including desi ghee and juice, during a surprise inspection near Mahilpur Adda.