Following several incidents of food poisoning-related hospitalisations in Kerala, the state government has announced guidelines for eateries and catering services to maintain the safety of food.
Health minister Veena George on Thursday stated that no establishment without a license and registration would be allowed to operate. Once an eatery has been registered, regular inspections would be held at regular intervals.
She also informed that a hygiene-rating system would be implemented for hotels and a mobile app would be launched this month for consumers to upload photos and videos to ensure that the food being served is fresh and the ambience is clean.
Further, the use of raw eggs for making mayonnaise, which is often served along with dishes like shawarma, has been prohibited. "If someone feels that they cannot do without eggs, they can use pasteurised eggs to prepare mayonnaise," said George.
The government has also decided to implement 'best before' stickers, just like in branded packaged food products, indicating when the food was prepared and the amount of time by which it should be consumed. In addition, health cards have been made mandatory for all employees of eateries. "It is the responsibility of the management," said George.
For events held in auditoriums, only a catering service licensed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India would be permitted to serve food.
What had led to this?
These decisions come against the backdrop of recent incidents of food poisoning in the state. Earlier this month, a nurse employed with Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam died of suspected food poisoning. Over two dozen people who had food at the same establishment were also hospitalised with symptoms of food poisoning.
The hotel, where they had eaten food, had its license cancelled last month following complaints but was allowed to open after paying a fine of Rs 20,000.
Seven days after the nurse's death, a 19-year-old girl passed away on January 7 due to food poisoning.
According to reports, there are around six lakh establishments across Kerala that are in the business of food. Only 140 food safety officials are available to monitor them on a regular basis.
New agency IANS quoted VR Vinod, the Food Safety Commissioner, as saying that no erring person has been convicted in Kerala after a death had been reported due to food poisoning.
"According to the rules, anyone found to be in violation following a death being reported due to food poisoning is seven years imprisonment. But no one in the state has been convicted for it. At present, there are around 1,800 cases in the courts for various offences related due to food adulteration. There is a delay in the trial due to lack of a special court," said the commissioner.
