Told to rectify the situation by July 15
TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration conducted surprise inspections on 32 kitchens of Self Help Groups all over Goa, supplying mid-day meals to schools. It also issued directives to all the suppliers to get their act together or face action.
The SHGs have been directed to rectify the situation before Monday, July 15 failing which their licences would be suspended.
“Four premises of SHGs at Betalbatim, Majorda and Davorlim were found to be not following proper sanitation and hygiene guidelines while preparing the food,” Director of FDA Salim Veljee said in a statement.
“The surroundings and walls were found to be dirty, badly in need of painting, improper storage of various raw materials, cats and puppies in the wash area, kitchen roof was found with fungus. Flies and insects were aplenty in and around the kitchen area,” Veljee added.
The inspections were conducted at premises of SHGs at Panjim, Taleigao, Merces, Cumbarjua, Margao, Borda, Colva, Fatorda, Betalbatim, Davorlim, Majorda Ponda, Shiroda, Bicholim and Sanquelim.
“In the remaining 28 cases, the overall sanitation and hygiene of SHG premises were satisfactory, but minor lapses were detected,” Veljee added.
The FDA will now notify the Education Department about their findings so that action can be initiated against the erring SHGs.
Veljee said that in all SHGs the cooking was unsupervised by a person from the SHG itself and instead left to the cooks.
“The preparation of the food is left totally to the cooks hired by such SHGs, who at times do not adopt or follow the essential good practices whilst preparation of food articles for schools,” he said.
Meanwhile, the FDA will be holding a special awareness programme for SHGs engaged in the preparation of Mid-Day meals which are supplied to school students.
The programme has been tentatively planned for the second week of August 2013 to train such SHGs on the ideal sanitary and good hygiene practices in their kitchen premises; good food handling practices; dos & donts on the safe food handling along with presentation on the commonly detected lapses at the SHGs premises.
“The President of the Mid Day Meals SHGs Association has already agreed for such a programme and would ensure the presence of all SHGs at the awareness programme. FDA intends to involve Education Department and Home Science college in this awareness programme,” the Director said.
