KOCHI: The Food Safety Department and the Railways conducted a surprise inspection of the fish that arrived at Ernakulam North Railway Station on Monday. In the preliminary inspection was conducted using the rapid test strips developed by the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT).
However, samples will be sent to the CMFRI and also other labs for further testing,” he said. The raid began at 10:30 am on platform No. 2 at Ernakulam North Railway Station. The officers had to wait for the consignment from Andhra that arrived in Sabari Express. The raid was wound up by late afternoon. They collected three sets of samples from 12 boxes of fish.
“The fish had arrived from Tamil Nadu and Ongol in Andhra. We collected samples from the prawn, pearl spot and tilapia consignments for further testing. The consignment that arrived from Andhra too didn’t test positive for formalin,” said Santhosh, Railway food safety officer.
“The fish had arrived from Tamil Nadu and Ongol in Andhra. We collected samples from the prawn, pearl spot and tilapia consignments for further testing. The consignment that arrived from Andhra too didn’t test positive for formalin,” said Santhosh, Railway food safety officer.
He said the Railways frequently conducts such checks and if the fish are found to be of substandard quality, the consignment is destroyed. “We don’t want substandard fish to enter the market in the dried or other forms,” said the officer. According to the officer, more such raids are planned and will take place at the Railway stations in Thrissur, Kozhikode and Palakkad in the coming days.
Fish consignments brought via trains inspected; found chemical-free
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Continuing their crackdown against formalin-laced fish being brought to the state, Food Safety Department officers carried out an inspection at the Thiruvananthapuram Railway Station with the help of the Railway authorities.
Assistant Food Safety Commissioner A K Mini said the inspection was carried out on fish consignments brought via Maveli Express, Mangalore Express, Malabar Express, Madurai-Punalur Passenger, Sabari Express, Netravati Express and other trains. “We tested for chemical contamination in the fish consignments using the paper strips developed by Central Institute of Fisheries Technology.
The tests were negative, as no traces of formalin was found. Still, we have collected samples which we will send to our labs for detailed analysis,” Mini said. The other day, Fisheries Minister J Mercykutty Amma had said the government had decided to convene a meeting of Fisheries Ministers of southern states in August to check the menace of chemically contaminated fish.
She said since it was found the ice being used to store the fish also had traces of chemicals, the Fisheries Department, aided by the Food Safety Department, will launch a crackdown against this.