June 10, 2018
Meat quality – Bengal Govt urges citizens not to panic
The State Government is quite serious in ensuring that the quality of meat sold is maintained, be they cooked or raw. Recently, an advertisement was brought out titled ‘Caution Generates Health’.
It listed a few to-dos that everyone should adopt:
- Check raw meat properly when purchasing it. Make sure that the meat is not discoloured or excessively shiny, and does not have foul smell.
- When purchasing processed or packaged meat, ensure that it is stored in a refrigerator, is FSSAI certified and has not crossed the expiry date. (FSSAI stands for ‘Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’, and is the nodal food safety authority of the country)
- If any dead animal is found lying around, notify the local municipality or panchayat.
- Beware of rumours and false propaganda.
Applying for license to FSSAI
For restaurant, hotel and store owners who sell meat and meat products, the Government has advised keeping the FSSAI license or registration on display. For those not having the license or registration yet, the advertisement has advised applying online for the same within seven days. The eligibility for license can be checked on the website too.
Action by authorities
The advertisement has stated that for ensuring the maintenance of proper food quality and hygiene, the Health and Family Welfare Department, the food safety commissioner, the police and the municipalities are regularly examining samples of processed, raw and cooked meat sold in restaurants, hotels and stores.
For any complaints or concerns, the advertisement asks people to inform immediately the local municipality, municipal corporation, panchayat, police and/or veterinary officer.
A few numbers have been listed to which messages can be sent through WhatsApp or SMS:
- Kolkata Municipal Corporation: 9836536419
- Howrah Municipal Corporation: 9874088995
- Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation: 9477100896
