COIMBATORE: Food safety officers in the western region have demanded additional allocation of mobile food analysis laboratories called 'Food Safety on Wheels', which was launched in Coimbatore in 2023.
So far, only one such mobile laboratory managed by the food analysis wing of the food safety department has been operating for four districts in the region — Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, and Erode. The single unit travels to each district once a month and conducts food testing at its mini laboratory. It also runs awareness campaigns on food adulteration.
Food safety officers demanded that each district be allocated a separate mobile unit so they can carry out their work without hurdles. Currently, they have to wait three months for the single unit's next cycle.
The mobile laboratory can identify adulteration in samples of oil, tea dust, sugar, milk, and dal. It offers on-the-spot basic testing of food samples to detect rancidity in oil, protein and fat content in milk, sugar levels in soft drinks, and food additives in tea and powdered spices.
It is also equipped with facilities such as a rapid milk screening apparatus, digital balance, digital refractometer, hot plate, hot air oven, and mixer grinder.
"Using the vehicle, tests can be conducted directly at various shops, allowing immediate identification of adulteration. If a sample tests positive for adulteration, a legal sample is collected for more detailed analysis and sent to the food analysis laboratory in Coimbatore, which operates the mobile unit. This approach enables quick detection without delay, raising public awareness.
The vehicle, which is parked at different locations according to schedules, also conducts food safety awareness sessions through videos and provides training to food business operators and food handlers. It has reduced the workforce needed for enforcement. While manpower shortages persist, it is considered necessary to allocate such a vehicle for each district," said a senior department official from the Coimbatore zone.
Additionally, the officer mentioned that they have requested the department to provide basic facilities for forensic examination, which is mandatory for food sample testing for VVIPs holding high security.
"If the VVIP who is given such high priority security, visits anywhere in the four districts, the food prepared for them should be examined at the forensic laboratory, which is only available in Coimbatore, so that the food safety officers can bring the samples to the forensic laboratory in Coimbatore.
Based on the test results, the VVIPs will be allowed to consume the food. This is a common situation in the four districts, and it consumes time and manpower. If the government allocates a separate mobile unit for each district along with the basic forensic testing facilities, we can conduct tests immediately," the officer said.
When asked, a senior official from the food analysis wing of the department said that the protocols for taking food samples for VVIPs are governed by specific SOPs and government orders, which mandate testing at the forensic laboratory. These can only be modified by the state government. Otherwise, increasing the number of mobile units is under discussion, the official added.
