Ludhiana: A joint team of health, horticulture, and food civil supplies departments conducted an inspection of Ludhiana’s fruit and vegetable markets and banana-ripening centres to ensure food safety and quality. Led by civil surgeon Dr Ramandeep Kaur, the officials inspected papaya, mango, and banana stocks at the New Sabzi Mandi and visited ripening centres in the Anaj Mandi area.The team collected samples to test their compliance with food safety standards. Additionally, they gathered samples of capsicum, ladyfinger (okra), and brinjal from the Buddha Dariya area to check for heavy metals and pesticide residues.The inspection was executed by a specialised team including Dr Ashish Chawla from the health department; Jaswinder Singh, DFSO of food civil supplies; Jaspreet Kaur Gill Sidhu from the department of horticulture; and Bhupinder Singh, a supervisor from the market committee.Dr Kaur emphasised that regular surveillance and scientific testing of fresh produce are necessary to safeguard public health from harmful contaminants. Officials said that these inspections, sampling, and enforcement operations will continue across the district to monitor food safety.
