PANAJI
A team from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) launched a special drive in Porvorim and inspected nine restaurants and food outlets for hygiene and the safety of food items sold, while taking action against three of these establishments.
FDA sources said the drive was conducted over the weekend on Saturday and Sunday in view of the rising temperatures, when the shelf life of both uncooked ingredients and cooked food drastically drops.
The team was led by Richard Noronha, FDA’s designated officer for North Goa under the Food Safety and Standards law.
In all, nine food establishments were inspected, of which three were singled out for action, the FDA official said, adding that the team found serious hygiene issues in their kitchens.
The three establishments operating behind the Delfino supermarket have been directed to immediately shut shop, make the necessary corrections, and submit a report to the FDA office, the official said.
The other establishments that were inspected were also given specific directions to conform with FSSAI standard operating procedures.
Meanwhile, the FDA has issued general instructions to all food establishments not to compromise on the cleanliness of the premises or the quality of food.
Noronha’s team also comprised Food Safety Officers Amit Mandrekar and Lenin D’Sa.
Fast-urbanising Porvorim has seen a proliferation of fast-food outlets, restaurants, and snack cafés and has been on the FDA’s radar over the last several months.
In December last year, Noronha led a drive to randomly inspect restaurants, street food kiosks, and outlets trading in packaged food items, including cashew nut and dry fruit shops.
Samples of food items were sealed and taken for lab tests, following which action (either a fine or a criminal case before the JMFC’s court) was taken based on the test results.
