Commissioner Food Safety, Dr. Abdul Kabir Dar today inaugurated a one-day sensitization workshop on ‘Safe and Nutritious Food-A Shared Responsibility’ here at Conference Hall, Legal Meteorology Department.Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Kabir said that Food Safety Department has to play an enormous role in ensuring that all the citizens get safe and nutritious food, adding it can be done in partnership with various stakeholders including consumer associations, and private sector businesses.The Commissioner said that the public-private partnership is something which cannot be undermined as the stakeholders can play a central role in ensuring the safety of food particularly in production and manufacturing processes.He exhorted upon individual groups, citizens, NGOs, private and public institutions, industry, business operators to ensure safe and nutritious chain of food and maintaining the culture of an ecosystem of the food chain.Commissioner emphasized upon private sector stakeholders to take the initiative and share the responsibility to produce safe and nutritious food and bring it to the marketplace and as a public authority, we will be facilitating the process.Commissioner also chaired a separate review meeting of Food Safety Officers of Kashmir Division and directed them to discharge their statutory duties entrusted to them under Food Safety & Standards Act, in their respective jurisdictions with zeal and dedication.
The Commissioner was apprised about the follow up of Food Safety Advisories and redressal of public complaints regarding the quality of food. He was informed that in Kashmir Division from April 2018 to August 2018 more than 746 samples of different categories of food items have been lifted and 523 samples have been tested during the same period. 162 prosecutions have been launched against the violators and an amount of Rs 795000 has been imposed as fine on the violators of different provisions of the Act.Commissioner directed all the Food Safety Officers (FSOs) to carry out rigorous awareness and survey in their respective jurisdictions for enlisting and enumeration of non-registered FBOs in each district and conduct registration campaigns in each district for FBOs of different food categories or nature of business using Mobile Food Testing Vans (MFTVs).The Commissioner in the end also flagged off a mobile food testing van and deputed a team of Food Safety Officers for the Srinagar District to conduct on spot testing of food articles, awareness and registration campaigns for Street Food Vendors.The programme was attended by Mrs. Irfana Ahmad, Deputy Commissioner Food Safety, Kashmir Division, Assistant Commissioner Food Safety (HQ), Assistant Controller Food (HQ), Nodal Officer Mobile Food Testing Vans, Nodal Officer Safe & Nutritious Food at Workplace and the Food Safety Officer of Kashmir Division.