Gandhinagar/Ahmedabad/Surat: Gujarat’s Food and Drugs Control Administration has launched a statewide special drive to check food quality and hygiene at hostel kitchens and canteens after around 100 students fell ill at a school hostel in Surat. As of Monday, officials had inspected 200 hostels and canteens across the state, including 47 govt-run, 21 semi-govt and 132 private facilities. The inspections led to 61 improvement notices being issued and 114 food samples being collected for testing.Ten hostel kitchens and canteens voluntarily shut down after officials found serious hygiene and sanitation deficiencies. In another case, the licence of a food establishment was suspended, the health department said.An official statement said the special drive was ordered by health minister Praful Pansheriya after food poisoning was reported at P P Savani school hostel in Surat’s Abrama area on Sep 13. The state govt subsequently directed officials to intensify checks on food quality, hygiene and sanitation at hostel kitchens and canteens across Gujarat.The inspections are aimed at identifying shortcomings in food handling, preparation and storage, and assessing overall hygiene at facilities serving students and other residents.In Ahmedabad, the civic body has expanded its inspections to paying-guest facilities, university canteens and hostel messes. AMC’s health and food department carried out checks under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.Officials inspected food preparation methods, storage arrangements, kitchen and utensil cleanliness, drinking water facilities and waste disposal systems at 15 major establishments. These included messes at AMC MET Dental College, Narendra Modi Medical College Girls’ Hostel, SVP Hospital’s Jayswal Canteen, M K Shah Medical College, L J College and GCS Medical College, besides private student PG facilities in Paldi, Sarkhej, Nikol and Maninagar.The teams collected 42 food samples and sent them to the Public Health Laboratory for testing. Authorities said legal action would follow if any sample failed to meet prescribed quality and safety standards. Canteen operators and facility managers were directed to strictly follow hygiene protocols and ensure that students are served safe and nutritious food.Surat Municipal Corporation’s food safety department also conducted inspections on Monday, covering institutional kitchens, hostel messes and canteens across the city.Officials examined raw materials, cooked food stored on or served on the premises, kitchen infrastructure, cleanliness and hygiene practices. They also checked the health status of staff involved in cooking and serving food to prevent contamination caused by unsafe handling.A total of 31 messes and canteens attached to hostels and institutions were inspected. The facilities included those at Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Kiran Hospital, diamond units, Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education and Research, the Akshay Patra Foundation kitchen, New Civil Hospital, Govt Medical College, P P Savani School in Abrama, Adarsh Nivasi Shala in Sarthana, and Veer Narmad South Gujarat University.Officials collected 38 food samples and seized around eight kilograms of food deemed unsafe for human consumption.As an immediate corrective measure, the staff at the inspected facilities were instructed to wear caps, gloves and aprons while preparing and serving food. The organisations operating the food services were also directed to ensure regular medical examinations of staff, with health checks every six months.
