T’puram: The food safety department has set to intensified monitoring of kitchens serving children and vulnerable groups in the district as part of the state govt’s 100-day programme, with the initiative aimed at modernising the existing food-safety monitoring system and making compliance more systematic.The drive will cover anganwadis, school midday-meal kitchens and institutions housing vulnerable groups, including old-age homes, child-care institutions, shelter homes and facilities under the social justice department. In the district, the programme will cover 3,061 anganwadis.Officials said the focus would shift from periodic inspections to a more continuous system involving routine inspections, food sampling, monitoring and training. The objective is to ensure that food remains safe at every stage, from procurement and storage of raw materials to cooking and serving.As part of the compliance requirements, institutions have been directed to use potable water for cooking, drinking and washing utensils. They must also maintain a valid water-quality test report issued by an NABL-accredited laboratory.Food handlers are expected to follow prescribed hygiene standards, while institutions will receive training to improve compliance.The department expects the shift towards routine monitoring and training to help institutions identify and rectify deficiencies before they result in food-safety incidents.The initiative is therefore being positioned not merely as an inspection exercise, but as an effort to modernise and strengthen the system for monitoring food prepared for vulnerable groups.
