Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has undertaken stringent measures for food outlets in the state by introducing newer, stricter norms to be adopted at all food inlets in the state to enhance food hygiene and safety. The rules state that the chefs and waiters should wear masks and gloves while performing their duties. Also, the names and addresses of the owners and managers of food places have to be put up clearly at food outlets.
Link with Tirupati Laddu Controversy
The Uttar Pradesh government announced new regulations in the wake of a recent controversy in Andhra Pradesh where former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu accused the previous government of making Tirupati Laddus with adulterated ingredients, including animal fat.
Tough action on food contamination would follow changes in Uttar Pradesh, part of a broader effort to deal with food safety problems after several incidents of food contamination in the country.
Tirupati Laddu is the instant holy offering given to pilgrims at Tirumala Temple in Tirupati, the second richest temple in India with a daily income of over Rs. 2 lakh.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath warns of swift action against whoever will be found indulging in food adulteration activities. He condemned in no uncertain terms the addition of harmful chemicals to food, terming it “abhorrent and unacceptable.” The aim is to prevent such incidents from taking place here in Uttar Pradesh.
Checking and Staff Verification
It would begin checking in details at all the food business places so that they may comply with the new rules. The police verification would be done for every staff member from the small street food stalls to five star restaurants. All this checking would be done by teams of the Food Safety Department, police and the local authority.
CCTV for Transparency:
Since the CCTV cameras will be fitted to survey food preparation environments, then there is transparency, and no malpractice will take place. Also, these are changes the government may enforce by amending the Food Safety Act to incorporate better hygiene practices while providing additional information about food businesses.
Public Health Focus
Public health is a priority that requires to be on number one, Adityanath said while stating that the punishment given would be the harshest if any citizen found indulging in unsafe and unhygienic practices. A safer and cleaner Uttar Pradesh is made possible by this new rule.
Recent Ghaziabad Incident
But new cases of alleged contamination have only increased the government’s chances, forcing it to act speedily on the recently announced food safety measures. Last week, in Ghaziabad, a shopkeeper was beaten up by the residents for selling fruit juice which contained urine.
