Punjab Health deptt adulteration campaign a success:Minister

Chandigarh, Nov 22 (UNI) The special campaign launched by the state health department to check the sale of adulterated food items including sweets and milk based items during the Diwali festival yielded positive results and led to the seizure of unhealthy items.

Stating this here today, Health and Family Welfare Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla said that a total of 369 samples of food items were obtained during this campaign, out of which 104 were found adulterated. Legal course was being pursued against the defaulters, she added.

While giving details of the food samples analysed under Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act during the festival season period from October 28 to November 15, Prof Chawla disclosed that a total number of samples obtained for 'khoa' were 75, out of which 47were found adulterated. Similarly, during this period 197 samples of sweets were analysed, out of which 16 were declared adulterated.

Ten out of the 16 samples analysed for paneer were found to be adulterated. In case of milk, 22 samples were analysed, out of which 16 were found adulterated. In case of curd all the 5 samples analysed were found adulterated, while out of the 12 samples obtained for 'desi ghee', half were found adulterated.

Prof Chawla said testing of these samples had become possible only due to the sincere efforts of the Public Analysts, who had worked day and night in the state laboratories to obtain results.

She presented small gifts as a token of appreciation to all the analysts at a brief meeting held today at the State Health Institute, Mohali.

UNI