T’puram: The food safety department has intensified inspections across Kerala to ensure the quality of food products during Onam, said health minister K Muraleedharan.The department’s Onam squad, which began functioning on July 27, has conducted 5,016 inspections across the state and issued 705 notices over violations, while recommending fines for 390 food establishments. The department also collected 623 statutory samples and 1,899 surveillance samples for lab testing.Special attention is being given to the quality of food products widely used during Onam, including papad, jaggery, coconut oil and ghee. Officials are checking labels, manufacturing and expiry dates, batch numbers, licence details, declaration of ingredients and compliance with statutory labelling requirements. Samples of jaggery, coconut oil and ghee have been collected and sent to labs for testing.Inspections have also been intensified at hotels, restaurants, catering establishments and cloud kitchens. Particular attention is being paid to food businesses that deliver Onasadhya and other food packages through online platforms, to ensure that they comply with food safety standards.
