No staff, no vehicle, no labs, crumbling state of food safety department in Kerala

TRIVANDRUM: No basic facilities and a serious shortage of staff. This is the sorry state of affairs inside the food safety department of Kerala. Officers need to undertake inspections on the field, but there are no vehicles provided. The list is long and induces shock. This is the depraving condition in which food safety works and many expect them to put a stop to the recurring deaths due to food poisoning in Kerala.

Shawarma and kuzhimanthi fall on the list of cautionary foods that took the life of two in the state. For tracking down the microscopic bacteria present in these food items, microbiological equipment stands imperative. Considering this, the central government allotted 6 crores back in the 2021-22 period, but the money has not yet been put to good use by the concerned ones in the state.

In Kerala, there are a total of 140 food circles with one officer each. Almost 2000 eateries are said to fall under the watch of one food circle. One vehicle is allotted for two circles, which means if one officer takes the vehicle, the other officer is forced to do no work and sit idle. Likewise, it is reported that the clerks and other assistants barely make it to the office.

These officers carry the role of presenting registration to hotels and should be physically present in court for any needed procedures. Adding up, only three regional labs are available for testing in the state of which none has microbiology accreditation. Almost 2700 cases are piled up in the food safety department. These cases are dusted on the shelf for nearly 10 years. The majority of the cases from the list involve complaints against hotels that served dishes that seemed life-threatening.