Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 29 May: Chief Secretary (CS) Anand Bardhan chaired the sixth meeting of the State Advisory Committee on Safe Food and Healthy Diet at the Secretariat here today. He directed that the state’s second food testing laboratory be inaugurated on World Food Safety Day, 7 June 2026. He emphasised that food safety infrastructure must be strengthened without delay to ensure public health and consumer protection.
During the meeting, the CS also directed the departments to intensify enforcement activities and expand the scope of food testing. He asked that provisions be made in the state sector budget and a corpus fund created to supplement central allocations and to enable continuous and regular testing of food items. He ordered strict action against those repeatedly involved in adulteration and stressed that cases pending in courts must be pursued with strong advocacy so that offenders get the harshest punishment as per the law.
Bardhan further directed that a simple four-digit help desk number be launched and widely publicised to facilitate complaints from the public regarding adulteration or any food-related grievance. He emphasised on the importance of strengthening the ecosystem for food safety in the state and instructed that mobile testing laboratories be increased alongside permanent facilities to ensure proper testing of food samples.
Keeping in view the forthcoming Kumbh 2027, the CS directed acceleration of the preparations on food safety. He directed that dedicated teams be deployed for testing and monitoring in the mela area and that vending zones be clearly demarcated to regulate food distribution.
He also stressed that ‘Eat Right Campus’ certification should first be promoted in government institutions, including educational and training centres, hostels, old-age homes, children’s homes and women’s shelters. He also instructed that quality must be ensured in mid-day meals and take-home rations provided at Anganwadi centres. He further directed that measures be taken to eliminate used cooking oil from the food chain by expanding the network of authorised collectors. He suggested organising workshops for hotel and restaurant managers and head chefs to raise awareness and strengthen the Eat Right initiative.
Also present at the meeting were Food Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey, Additional Secretary Rohit Meena and other senior officials.
