Port Blair, Aug 25: To ensure the availability of safe & hygienic milk to the general public, the officials of Food Safety Department conducted a special drive to check the quality of fresh milk being sold by various milk vendors. In the morning & evening hours milk samples were collected and tested on the spot with the help of milk analysis instruments provided by FSSAI. 37 samples were collected and tested out of which 35 samples were found satisfactory and in two samples added water was detected.

As per the direction of FSSAI, a surveillance campaign was also held on adulteration of edible oils in the District of South Andaman, 26 Nos. of edible oil samples were collected and submitted for analysis to the laboratory specified by FSSAI. Analysis reports are awaited.  Further from April onwards the department collected 330 Nos. of Regulatory Food Samples of various food articles and analysed through FSSAI notified laboratory. Results of 210 Nos. of samples have been received and no samples were found unsafe/adulterated or of substandard quality. 20 Nos. of samples were found misbranded for the violation of Food Safety and Standards (Labelling & Display) Regulations, 2020. Cases for adjudication of the offences have been filed against all these 20 FBOs.

The Food Safety Department is also keeping a strict vigil on all food products arriving from mainland and samples are also collected for its analysis. Shri Suneel Anchiapaka, IAS, Commissioner Food Safety, A&N Islands/Dy. Commissioner, South Andaman District has warned all the FBOs to refrain from using any chemicals or preservatives in food items which are not permitted under the Act. The general public may lodge any complaints or grievance on toll free No. 1077 or 03192236168, 03192236112.