The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) team deserves to be appreciated for carrying out surprise raids across the state on some well-known restaurants, and for strictly penalising those who violated food safety and hygiene rules in Goa. These days, some restaurant owners are carelessly allowing their non-Goan cooks to prepare food in extremely dirty kitchens with poor hygiene. The same food is then served to customers by waiters, all for the sake of making quick money.
The FDA team seems to be doing a good job at the moment. However, I hope these sudden and much-publicised raids are not being used—like in many other government departments over the years—as a way to extort money from restaurant or roadside food outlet owners at the request of the Health Minister. These actions should be taken with the right intention, keeping the health and well-being of Goans as the top priority.
