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FSSAI seeks safe preparations & handling of mid-day meals for kids
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Tuesday, 04 October, 2022, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
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The apex food regulator has asked state food safety commissioners to take appropriate measures to ensure safe preparations and handling of mid-day meals for children across the country.
The FSSAI swung into action after it received reports about a rise in food poisoning incidents among children having mid-day meals at schools. The factors identified for the same include unhygienic food cooking and handling conditions, lack of proper storage & transportation facilities, carrying out operations without FSSAI licence/registration and so on.
A letter written by Inoshi Sharma, executive director, FSSAI, has asked the officials to report and notify any incident of food poisoning or food-borne illness to the food authority.
“Any incidence of the food poisoning/food-borne illness reported among the children due to consumption of mid-day meals should be notified to the FSSAI headquarters and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)/local health authorities for reporting on Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme-IDSP and investigate the matter to find the root cause,” the letter reads while asking for taking legal action against the defaulting FBOs.
The FSSAI has asked the state officials to ensure FBOs involved in mid-day meal scheme must have licence/registration and the cooks along with helpers who prepare meals must be adequately trained under the FoSTaC programme, for which funds have already been provided to the states.
Also, the food authority has asked the state officials to ensure that kitchen-cum-stores where meals are prepared should be inspected regularly. The officials were asked to take samples of the raw as well as prepared meals on a regular basis.
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