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Bengal

No trace of formalin in chicken samples: Atin Ghosh

Kolkata: In a relief to the chicken lovers of the city, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) declared on Saturday that they have not found any trace of chemical or formalin in the chicken samples that were collected throughout last week, from Monday to Wednesday, from various street food stalls as well as a few restaurants across the city. However, for the bacterial test, the civic body is sending the samples to Jadavpur University.
"There is no trace of chemicals in chicken samples that we have collected from our drives in Borough 5, 6 and 7. The food analysts in our laboratory have performed tests on both raw and cooked samples that we have collected and have found nothing which is detrimental for consumption," Member Mayor-in-Council (MMiC) Health Atin Ghosh said on Saturday.
He further stated that the civic body is sending the same seized stuff to Jadavpur University for a higher quality of tests. "They have sent us an email and have asked us to send the samples after processing them. As it is an educational institution and not a pathological entity, they do not have the infrastructure of testing raw meat. They have given us instructions on how to process the meat and send it to them for testing. We will follow the same and send it early next week. The test by JU will ensure whether there is any bacterial infection in the stuff or not," Ghosh said.
It may be mentioned that the samples that have passed the parameters of being safe were collected from Ultadanga, New Market and Entally areas. "We will be continuing our drive in this regard and more and more samples will be tested," he stated.
The KMC will also continue its food drives to ensure the safety standards of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
On Thursday and Friday, food safety officers of the civic body have collected fresh samples from municipal markets in Gariahat, Lake Market and Ultadanga. They have been sent to the laboratory on Friday, along with samples of cooked chicken randomly picked up from food stalls at Dacres Lane whose reports are due next week.
The civic body, in the wake of complaints about dead chicken being supplied to the city from Baduria in North 24 Parganas, had started their drive right from Monday and have been picking up samples of cooked and raw meat from various eateries across the city.
It is learnt that the findings of the report have already been sent to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's office.
"Our raids and tests will continue. If irregularities are found with the eateries that are registered with the civic body, action will be taken as per law on violations of FSSAI Act. In case of roadside eateries, we will lodge complaints with the Enforcement Branch of Kolkata Police urging them to take action under Section 272 and 273 of the Indian Penal Code," a food safety officer said.
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