KMC to bring out mobile food quality checking vehicle

The necessary nod from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has already reached the Health department of the civic body.

"It will not only give teeth to our drive in checking the quality of food with this mobile unit, but will also allow common people to check the quality of food through the infrastructure available in the mobile vehicle. However, the common people have to pay a fee for checking their food," Member, Mayor-in-Council (Health) Atin Ghosh said.

As per sources in the KMC, it was FSSAI who had given the proposal to the state government for using such a mobile vehicle for checking quality of food.

The proposal was then forwarded to KMC's Health department, which has been conducting drives against inferior quality of food and the latter had accepted it readily.

The Centre has stated that they will be providing Rs 5 lakh a year for the infrastructure of the vehicle. For three years, they will be providing Rs 15 lakh.

"If somebody wants to assess the quality of food of a hotel or restaurant, he/she can do it from the mobile vehicle. The rates will vary according to types of food," a senior food safety officer said, adding that the rates will be available with the vehicle itself.

It may be mentioned that the food department of KMC, for the last few years, has been conducting drives on a regular basis to keep a check on inferior quality of food. The state government has renovated its food laboratory at Convent Road and the central laboratory at Kyd Street.

Union Health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has recently said that the Centre will allocate Rs 482 crore to each state for dishing out good quality and nutritious food.