Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Saturday that food parcels without date labels are banned in Kerala. The safety warning stickers should mention details on the date and time of preparation, mandated by Food Safety Standards Regulations, and also the time limit within which the food should be consumed.
The health department has recently come under immense scrutiny after state witnessed several cases of suspected food poisoning. Following this, raids conducted by officials at various eateries revealed that hotels were selling unhealthy and stale foods. Later, the health minister Veena George held a meeting with the hotel owners in the state to curb such issues. The decision was to introduce a hygiene rating system for eateries and introduce the use-by-time labels on food parcels. The new development comes in this context.
According to Food Safety Standards Regulations, dishes that belong to ‘High Risk Hot Foods’ should be consumed within two hours of preparation. If delivery of such food items is to be done in farther places, 60-degree Celsius should be maintained while they are transported. When such dishes are kept for more than 2 hours, it can turn hazardous for health and not suitable for consumption. Considering such factors the new regulations are being enforced, the minister said.
The State Government recently made health cards mandatory for all hotel employees as part of strict measures to ensure hygiene at food establishments in the wake of recent back-to-back food poisoning incidents. Any hotel or restaurant found employing staff who fail to take health cards will not be allowed to function from February 1, Health Minister Veena George said on Wednesday. If it’s found that a worker doesn’t possess a health card, the institution will be closed down in no time and its details published. The new rule, aimed at curbing the spread of food-borne illnesses, is applicable to all kinds of food-making and distribution institutions.
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