Food safety vans on wheels to be operational in J&K from March 1

Srinagar, Feb 28: The recently-inaugurated food safety vans on wheels will be operational in Jammu and Kashmir from March 1.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the deployment of state-of-the-art Food Safety on Wheels (FSWs) – mobile food testing laboratories on Sunday.

According to officials from the Jammu and Kashmir Food Safety Department, six FSWs have been dedicated to strategically identified locations across the region.

Two of these vans would serve the urban hubs of Srinagar and Jammu, while the remaining four would cover districts like Shopian, Pulwama, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Kathua, Samba, Reasi, and Udhampur.

Commissioner Food Safety, Kashmir, Hashmat Ali told Greater Kashmir that the food safety vans would be operational on March 1.

He said that FSWs can conduct up to 250 sample tests per month.

“These vans are equipped with state-of-the-art features like microbiological settings, GPS tracking, audio-visual installations, and the ability to perform on-site tests at a micro level. In addition to tests, these vans have to host 25 training programmes, and 15 awareness camps aimed at educating both consumers and food business operators on crucial aspects of food safety and hygiene practices. Analyst and assistant will be on board to facilitate the testing process and ensure the efficiency of operations," Ali said.

He said that food safety vans were more advanced than the vans they already had in the department.

“This food safety on wheels is a kind of lab in which all kinds of tests will be done. All the food samples including milk, sweets, confectioneries, bakery, and other food items will be tested," he said.

The FSWs and Microbiological Section established would be out of the funds provided by FSSAI under the MoU.