Mangaluru: Health and family welfare minister UT Khader urged consumers to report instances of suspected stale or unsafe food and said the state govt would frame rules requiring food chains and businesses to disclose the age and freshness of stored chicken and other products.Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Khader said authorities had shut an outlet of a global fast-food chain in Mangaluru following an inspection prompted by a customer’s complaint.“I appreciate the mother and child who noticed a foul smell in the chicken and alerted the authorities. Their action should inspire other consumers. Whenever customers have doubts about the quality of food served, they should immediately inform the authorities. Strict enforcement is not possible without the cooperation of civil society,” he said.Samples collected from the outlet have been sent for laboratory analysis, and further action will be taken based on the results, the minister said. Khader said food chains may be permitted to store products for a stipulated period under prescribed conditions, but consumers should be informed about their age and freshness.“Companies should disclose how long the chicken has been stored. Consumers have the right to know this so that they can make an informed choice. When food-safety concerns were raised in Mangaluru amid an intensive enforcement drive in Bengaluru, we discussed the matter with the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) commissioner and ordered the outlet to be sealed,” he said.An intensive food-safety campaign is under way, with officials inspecting hotels, restaurants, retail outlets and establishments operated by multinational companies, he added. Responding to concerns over staff shortages in the FSDA, Khader said the govt would recruit additional personnel and provide necessary infrastructure if the department demonstrated effective enforcement, he said.Khader clarified that the one-year ban on manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of pan masala and gutka, had not been withdrawn. He also urged restaurants to serve hot water to customers as a precaution against communicable diseases.Food safety officials inspect another fast-food chain outletA day after directing an outlet of a global fast-food chain, food safety officials inspected another chain, on Sunday as part of their ongoing enforcement drive. Officials said no customer complaints had been received against the outlet inspected on Sunday. However, they found irregularities, the use of frozen chicken and directed the management to serve fresh chicken and strictly adhere to the prescribed food quality and safety standards.An official said storing frozen chicken in deep freezers was common across the industry, but food businesses must ensure that the products served to customers are safe and meet stipulated quality standards. The inspection drive will continue daily. Officials said detailed checks were time-consuming as they involved scrutinising records, examining operations, identifying shortcomings and guiding establishments on compliance with food safety regulations. Typically, one outlet is inspected each day.The outlet was not sealed as officials found no violation warranting such action.
