In view of upcoming holy Ramzan month, Food Safety wing of Drug and Food Control Organization, organized two awareness camps for food handlers, one at Gujjar Nagar and the other one at Residency Road, Jammu. The camps were conducted on the directions of Commissioner, Food Safety, J&K, Vinod Sharma by a Food Safety team led by Dr Parvesh Kumar, Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety, Jammu Municipal Limits. The main motive of organizing the camps was to sensitize the food handlers regarding proper sanitation and cleanliness in their food establishments and to ensure that customers are provided good quality foods. A large number of food business operators/food handlers of respective areas attended the camps at Gujjar Nagar and Residency Road. They were asked by Food Safety officers to maintain proper sanitation and personal hygiene in their food establishments and follow all the norms of Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) 2006. Addressing the food handlers, Dr Parvesh impressed upon them to prepare food under hygenic conditions and sell good quality food articles to the customers. He advised them to use different chopping boards for fruits, vegetables, meat and poultry and avoid keeping cooked food for longer time. The Assistant Commissioner stressed upon the food handlers to maintain proper temperature for storing the food articles and keep their lanes and drains neat and clean to avoid cross contamination. He also told them to keep dusbins in their establishments for waste products. He further directed them not to use news papers for packing of food. Dr Parvesh warned them of stringent action if any of them found violating FSSA norms. The team was comprised of Food Safety Officers (FSOs), Ajay Khajuria and Hans Raj.
