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Food adulteration: KMC's lab to check quality to start ops before Puja

Food adulteration: KMCs lab to check quality to start ops before Puja
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Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation's (KMC) state-of-the-art food laboratory for examining the quality of food and water is expected to be unveiled before the Durga Puja.

It will enable Kolkata Municipal Corporation to become self-dependent in tracing whether there is adulteration in food.

The civic body till date had to depend on central or private laboratories for examining the quality of food stuff.

The world-class food laboratory has come up at 15N, Nellie Sengupta Sarani (3rd floor) on an area of 4,800 square feet where there is a microbiology section and room for modern instruments for felicitating research activities.

"We have plans of creating a section of molecular biology so that presence of any metallic substance in food can also be tested," a senior official of Kolkata Municipal Corporation's Health department stated.

The KMC has some limitations in assessing food quality at its existing laboratory situated at 1A, Hogg Street where food quality is examined following traditional method. Intricate study cannot be done in this facility due to lack of infrastructure.

Examination of presence of all types of bacteria in both food and water can be examined in this laboratory. Aerobic Mesophilic Plate Count, coliform count in water and identification and denoting exact numbers of yeast and mould will also be possible in the laboratory.

In the days to come, Kolkata Municipal Corporation will be able to examine the presence of salmonella that causes typhoid, Shigella infection that cause diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever, and stomach cramps, vibrio cholera that causes cholera and virus of food poisoning etc in this laboratory.

KMC may also allow private companies to use the modern infrastructure of its laboratory. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has spent Rs 8 crore for the laboratory and the centre is expected to allocate another Rs 10 crore in later stage for purchasing more equipment.

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