8% of samples from prisons in Gujarat fail FDCA tests

AHMEDABAD: The Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) is primarily raids eateries and restaurants and and also keeps an eye on street food vendors, to assess food quality, but the body expanded its purview and carried out surprise checks in prisons earlier this week.
The results of tests on the 160-odd samples it took found that 8% of samples did not meet legal standards, much higher than the 1% failure rate for commercial establishments.
Dr H G Koshia, the FDCA commissioner, said that the state home department was informed of the initiative and the department supported the move. "Our officers visited all 23 big and small prisons in various districts almost simultaneously and collected samples from both cooked food and raw material. About 8% of samples did not meet the set standards," he said.
He said that they even found artificial colours in food items such as capsicum and turmeric. Some of the prisons where the sub-standard food was found were those in included Una, Amreli and Bharuch. "Sometimes, it's the third-party contractors who provide food to the prison kitchens. We have submitted our findings to the home department, recommending action," said Koshia.
He claimed this was not only the first such initiative in the state, but in India. "The move was appreciated at the national level and it is expected that a few other states will follow suit," he added.
Mohan Jha, DGP (prisons), said that his office had not received a communique about the results. "We take utmost care in preparing food, which is generally done by prison staff. If any irregularities are found, we will surely take action," he said.