SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Kirana Merchants’ Association, in collaboration with the Telangana State Police, the H-FAST Team, and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), will host a public awareness programme on food safety and regulatory compliance on Monday, April 13, at 5 pm.
The event will take place at Mitti Ka Sher in Begum Bazar.
Several senior officials are scheduled to participate, including Task Force DCP Vaibhav Gaikwad, Additional DCP Ande Srinivas, H-FAST Inspector Renjith, FSSAI national director Balu Naik, Law & Order DCP G Chandramohan, and Goshamahal ACP Sudarshan.
They will address traders and merchants, offering guidance on maintaining food safety standards and adhering to regulations.
According to a press release, the initiative aims to strengthen awareness and encourage compliance among traders, contributing to a safer and more reliable food ecosystem in Begum Bazar, one of Hyderabad’s prominent commercial hubs.
Adulterated food found in tonnes
Over the past month, city residents have been confronted with disturbing visuals of the unhygienic conditions under which their everyday pantry staples are prepared, as police crack down on manufacturing units and seize thousands of kilograms of adulterated food.
Over the past month, city residents have been confronted with disturbing visuals of the unhygienic conditions under which their everyday pantry staples are prepared, as police crack down on manufacturing units and seize thousands of kilograms of adulterated food.
H-FAST formation
It was against this backdrop that the Hyderabad Food Adulteration Surveillance Team (H-FAST) was formed on March 19 this year.
The unit’s daily exposures have been met with public approval, but a question still lingers. What actually happens to offenders and their units after a police raid?
In multiple instances, it has emerged that those caught do not face jail time and are released after producing a surety from the court. This raises a harder question: is the current enforcement enough to stop the same people from doing it again?
Deputy Commissioner of Police Vaibhav Raghunath Gaikwad, who heads H-FAST, in an interview with Siasat.com, said the approach is to drive change gradually through awareness.
SOURCE : SIASAT
