HYDERABAD: The Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) plans to rope in student hostels, catering firms, mobile vendors along with star hotels for its proposed workshop on food hygiene and safety to be held next month.

Food scientists, nutrition experts and others from several national-level institutions will conduct the meet being organised in association with the National Institute of Nutrition. Health and sanitation officials from all municipal bodies in the State are to be invited.

"There is a high chance for food items and water turning hazardous during summer due to the high temperatures and unclean storage. So, we want to bring all the eateries coming under public health including social welfare hostels under the ambit," explained a senior official.

Model for nation

Officials involved in the exercise maintain that comprehensive guidelines and standards on food safety expected to be released during the workshop could become a model for the entire nation as information is to be sourced from the existing acts on food adulteration and also research institutes.

With the civic body coming across many instances of lack of proper hygiene and sanitation in hotels and other eat-outs in the twin cities it was decided to take up an awareness campaign on aspects like food procurement, preparation, storage, distribution, serving, workers hygiene, building upkeep, etc.

Along with it other issues like potable water quality, food-borne diseases common in cities across the country, pest control, waste disposal system and standards like the hazard analysis critical control points are to be touched upon at the workshop.

"There is a general apathy towards maintaining quality even if some do it knowingly and others not being aware. It is more dangerous than any kind of pollution. Permissions are given to start eating places without looking into these aspects," accepts a senior official.

The hygiene aspect was also ignored during the recently revised rules for according `no objection certificate' to them though issues like proper parking space and bulk garbage were made mandatory.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail