PANAJI
In line with the Maharashtra FDA’s crackdown, Goa’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is set to widen its food safety inspections to canteens operating in government and semi-government institutions across the State, expanding the ongoing hygiene drive beyond private establishments.
The action comes in the wake of a special statewide enforcement drive announced by Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, with the FDA already shutting down three canteens functioning in government offices at Porvorim over serious hygiene and compliance deficiencies.
Canteens operating at the Directorate of Education, Accounts Department and Water Resources Department (WRD) have been directed to stop operations after inspections flagged structural deficiencies and poor kitchen hygiene. The units will be allowed to resume operations only after the deficiencies are rectified and compliance is verified by the FDA. “As part of the drive, we have already inspected three canteens serving government offices. The units were directed to stop operations after serious structural deficiencies and poor kitchen hygiene were observed. Compliance will be verified before operations are permitted to resume,” Rane said. He also appealed to canteen contractors to strictly adhere to prescribed food safety and hygiene standards, stressing that food safety cannot be compromised. Speaking to The Goan, FDA Director Shweta Dessai said complaints received against government canteens would be taken up on priority, while surprise inspections of government and semi-government canteens would also be conducted regularly across the State.
The inspections, she clarified, will not be restricted to departmental headquarters. Zonal and taluka-level government offices will also come under the FDA’s scanner.
“In the case of the Directorate of Education, we had received a complaint regarding the functioning of the canteen and acted accordingly. The inspections at WRD and the Accounts Department were surprise inspections,” she said. The FDA is now preparing for another major enforcement exercise ahead of the upcoming Ganesh festive season, when demand for sweets and other food products traditionally rises sharply. Dessai said the statewide surveillance would cover the period before, during and after the festive season, with the FDA keeping a close watch not only on shops and food establishments but also on food products entering Goa from neighbouring States. “During the festival time, the movement of sweets and related products increases. Hence, the crackdown has to be intensified. We have been getting several cases of poor-quality mava supply, which is used for making sweets,” she said.
As part of the surveillance, FDA teams will also check inter-State buses and other transport vehicles carrying food products into Goa to verify their safety, quality and compliance with food safety norms. Dessai said the entire FDA team had been deployed on the field to ensure that food served and sold during the festive period met prescribed safety and hygiene standards. She also urged citizens to report instances of unhygienic conditions in canteens, hotels, eateries or food supply chains to the FDA so that immediate enforcement action can be initiated.
