Ensure food items being sold during festive season meet safety norms: Delhi minister to officials

Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh on Monday directed officials to carry out intensive inspections across the city to ensure that food items being sold during the festive season meet all safety and hygiene norms.

The minister issued the instructions while chairing a meeting of Food Safety Department officials, an official statement said.

“The Delhi government is fully committed to ensuring that every citizen consumes safe, hygienic and quality food, especially during the festive season. Any negligence in food safety will be dealt with strictly and without exception,” Singh said.

As part of an ongoing inspection drive, officials have collected 20 samples of food items, including paneer, khoya and spices, from different parts of Delhi. In addition, 139 samples of raw non-vegetarian items have also been collected, it said.

According to the statement, the officials assured the minister that all consumable products are being rigorously checked and monitored to safeguard public health during the festive season.

Singh also instructed the officials to thoroughly check packaged drinking water brands, given the wide variety of products available in the market. Every brand must strictly adhere to standard safety and quality protocols, he said.

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The minister directed the Food Safety Department to inspect all chains of sweet shops operating under the same brand name to verify if they meet the food safety norms and maintain uniform standards across outlets.

The department informed the minister that it is receiving full cooperation from Delhi Police for the ground-level inspections, with police personnel responding promptly to calls for joint inspections and enforcement, the statement said.