Railway Stations Frisked For Sub-standard Perishable Food

Following continuous measures to maintain food safety and security standards in railway canteens and stations, food safety officials carried out checks at Indian Railways stations in Punjab early today morning, looking for sub-standard perishable items, including ‘khoya’ and ‘paneer’, that were being brought into the state from neighboring states, according to the publications that reported a senior official as saying so.

Sub-standard perishable items from neighboring states

“Meetings were held with railway authorities and they were sensitized on the issue. Special teams were sent to check prominent railway stations. Samples have been collected and forwarded to the state laboratory at Kharar,” K.S. Pannu, commissioner, Food Safety, said to the publication, adding that they had received reports that sub-standard perishable items were being flooded into the local markets from neighboring states through early morning inbound trains.

He said that the railway authorities have been requested to inform the department before releasing the items to the concerned so that food safety officials can obtain samples that can be used for quality testing. Railway authorities have consented to this, he said.

Insect-infested

Pannu also added that special barriers have been put up to check the entry of milk and milk products that arrive from the neighboring states by road. “Besides, an inspection was done at large dairies for the second day today and 150 samples have been collected and sent for quality check,” he said. Sub-standard milk and cream were found during the raids and destroyed, with some of them having insects in them, Pannu said, adding that the inspection will continue.