Food inspectors find themselves unable to take any concrete action because they cannot stop sale of items without proof and laboratory results take 14 days.
Even as inspectors of the food and drug administration (FDA) have spread out in the city to comb sweet marts, milk distribution outlets and manufacturing units of mawa to bust adulteration rackets, they find themselves unable to take any concrete action due to lack of adequate technology.
So far, 13 food inspectors within the city limits have conducted 31 spot inspections and three raids during which they collected 17 samples of items like khoya, mawa, besan, oil and flour and seized three items, including milk and mawa, under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Even as the officials are trying their best to rein in adulteration by conducting raids as part of the week-long pre-Diwali drive — as well as meeting traders' associations — they cannot take any action until two weeks later. That is because the law states that the seized samples should first be tested at a government laboratory for adulteration and sale of the product can only be stopped if it is proved.
"We cannot stop the sale of these products or seize everything we suspect is adulterated. We have to send the samples to the State Public Health Laboratory, where it takes up to 14 days for the report. It is true that most material would be sold by then, but at least the traders are liable for action. We want them to be aware of the dire consequences, which is why we are conducting the raids," said Chandrakant Salunkhe, assistant commissioner of Pune division of the FDA.
He said that while FDA seniors have been trying to speed up the process of getting the laboratory reports, it is still some time before the delay is reduced.
"Yes, there are efforts going on to ensure we get reports faster. In fact, we have been wishing for faster technology or rapid test kits for long. Only then will our efforts pay off. But there is still some time before that happens. Until then, we have stepped up vigilance both within the city limits and are monitoring supplies coming from other districts as well," he said.
Salunkhe appealed to the people to buy supplies from licensed traders and be alert while making purchases.
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