Responding to India Today Television's sting operation, which showed
Food Safety and Standard Authority (FSSAI) officials willing to give nod
to unsafe food products for a bribe, the government on Wednesday
ordered a probe.
Health Minister JP Nadda has directed officials of his department to take strict action against the errant food inspectors, who were shown in the sting operation quoting their rates for passing off bogus food product as safe for human consumption.
Soon after the sting operation was aired on India Today TV on Wednesday, Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan demanded that the food inspectors must be jailed for breaking the trust of consumers.
India Today TV's sting had exposed how illegal approval of unsafe food products goes unchecked under Food Safety & Standard Authority (FSSAI) with its food inspectors subtly encouraging bribery.
The investigation team reached out to Pilkhuwa in the western Uttar Pradesh district of Hapur, 60 kilometers away from the national Capital.
The team posed as entrepreneurs willing to launch a namkeen brand - Sharmaji Ki Bhujia. The team requested Ramesh Chand, food inspector, FSSAI, Pilkhuwa, for help because their product had excessive amount of lead in it, following which, Inspector Chand assured them that excess lead would not be a problem.
In the very first meeting, Chand not only agreed to pass the samples, but he also promised to do so without conducting any tests. However, he demanded a fixed price - only Rs 20,000 a year - a nominal sum is all it takes for an FSSAI food inspector to bypass tests and let deadly and dubious food samples pass.
Source:http://indiatoday.intoday.in
Health Minister JP Nadda has directed officials of his department to take strict action against the errant food inspectors, who were shown in the sting operation quoting their rates for passing off bogus food product as safe for human consumption.
Soon after the sting operation was aired on India Today TV on Wednesday, Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan demanded that the food inspectors must be jailed for breaking the trust of consumers.
India Today TV's sting had exposed how illegal approval of unsafe food products goes unchecked under Food Safety & Standard Authority (FSSAI) with its food inspectors subtly encouraging bribery.
The investigation team reached out to Pilkhuwa in the western Uttar Pradesh district of Hapur, 60 kilometers away from the national Capital.
The team posed as entrepreneurs willing to launch a namkeen brand - Sharmaji Ki Bhujia. The team requested Ramesh Chand, food inspector, FSSAI, Pilkhuwa, for help because their product had excessive amount of lead in it, following which, Inspector Chand assured them that excess lead would not be a problem.
In the very first meeting, Chand not only agreed to pass the samples, but he also promised to do so without conducting any tests. However, he demanded a fixed price - only Rs 20,000 a year - a nominal sum is all it takes for an FSSAI food inspector to bypass tests and let deadly and dubious food samples pass.
Source:http://indiatoday.intoday.in
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