Team Herald
PANJIM: Days after upping the ante against the artificial ripening of fruits, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane has asked all the high-value restaurants in the coastal areas to take FDA licence within 30 days, or face action.
“The action on restaurants in the coastal belt is a part of pan-Goa drive against food adulteration and usage of carcinogenic chemicals in fruits and vegetables,” he said.
Rane threatened to shut down the restaurants which do not take FDA licences within 30-day period.
“After 30 days we are going to crack down on these restaurants which have no permissions,” he said.
Rane stated that his department will also ask the starred hotels also to reveal the source where fruits and vegetables are procured by them.
“We will be carrying out random tests on the fruits and vegetables procured by these hotels. We will do this in consultation with the tourism bodies, so that it does not become hindrance to the tourism industry,” the minister said.
The minister said while the government has made it mandatory for small cart owners to have FDA licences, those people who invest crores of rupees and set up restaurants are operating without such licences.
The FDA, which is a part of Health Department, has begun extensive raids in the State against the traders to check usage of chemicals in fruits and vegetables.
“We have been aggressive through FDA against the artificial ripening of fruits because of rising cases of cancer in Goa. FDA has given direction to its officials to take a very pro-active stand and without any kind of interference to act,” he said.
“It is necessary for us to take such pro-active steps. Today lakhs of rupees of banana and apples have been destroyed due to utilisation of Calcium Carbide and other chemicals in the food,” Rane said.
“We are also checking Brinjol which is dipped in carcinogenic chemical in order to maintain gloss on it.”
