HYDERABAD: GHMC has announced that it will establish six basic food testing laboratories in the GHMC core urban region in coordination with the Commissioner of Food Safety, Institute of Preventive Medicine, Public Health Labs and Food (Health) Administration, to curb food adulteration by hoteliers, restaurants and eateries and to enhance food testing across the city.
These labs will test packaged foods for purity, adulteration, pathogens and micro-organisms.
Currently, the only Food Testing Laboratory in the state is located at Nacharam, Hyderabad. With GHMC being a rapidly growing urban area, and around 40% to 45% of food establishments located within its limits, the state government has identified the need to meet international standards.
A meeting was recently held in the chambers of the Secretary, Health Medical and Family Welfare, Telangana, Christina Z Chongthu, where it was decided to submit proposals for setting up six food testing labs in all six zones of GHMC’s core urban region.
Following this, the Commissioner of Food Safety requested the GHMC Commissioner to identify and allot six buildings of 6,500 to 10,000 sq ft each, and to sanction 30 crore — 5 crore per lab.
GHMC has agreed to allot six buildings of 10,000 sq ft each, as per Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) norms, and to sanction Rs 5 crore per lab. A large number of food establishments are also registering and obtaining licences from FSSAI.
Officials told TNIE that the labs will decentralise the workload currently handled by the State Food Laboratory at Nacharam, which receives all food samples from GHMC and all 33 districts of Telangana. The lone lab is under heavy pressure due to staff shortage and FSSAI’s 14-day mandate for sample analysis. Hundreds of samples are processed there daily.