Tamil Nadu government has ordered a continuous, three-month food safety drive starting today, September 1. Under this campaign, food safety officers are authorized to inspect food businesses, including establishments licensed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
In Coimbatore, the first phase of inspections will cover places that prepare and distribute food, including hotels, roadside pushcart stalls, private women’s and men’s hostel mess facilities, school and college hostel canteens, and Anganwadi centers. Over the course of the drive, inspections will target around 30,000 food establishments operating across 23 key areas.
Firstly, a key meeting is set to take place at the Coimbatore Collector’s Office on Tuesday followed by food safety inspections. During these checks, strict spot fines will be issued to businesses operating without proper licenses, maintaining unhygienic conditions, serving low-quality food, lacking necessary infrastructure, or preparing food without following official guidelines.
Coimbatore District Food Safety Officer Anuradha stated that officials will first monitor locations where food is prepared and distributed before expanding inspections to food manufacturing companies. She emphasized that the primary goal of this drive is to ensure the food people purchase and consume is safe and of high quality. She also urged the public to lodge complaints regarding sub-standard eateries by calling the dedicated helpline number: 94435 20332.
