Tribune News Service

Manav Mander

Ludhiana, January 20

A food sampling van, which was started in 2018 to get food samples checked for quality and get reports on the spot, has been lying unused for months together. The vehicles used to go to various parts of the city and residents would use it to get food samples checked.

Service to be restarted soon: Health official

District Health Officer Dr Gurpreet Singh said the department was planning to restart the van once again and a programme had been chalked out for the same. The van will now also be visiting Moga along with Ludhiana. A lab technician and a driver had been appointed and soon, the vehicle would start operating again.

The van gave reports on food quality based on the guidelines of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). However, it is presently lying stationary at the office of Civil Surgeon.

During its functioning, only Rs 50 was charged as fee and people used to get reports on the spot. The equipment in it would detect fats and test for adulterants such as urea, sucrose, starch, adulteration in milk, detection of synthetic colours along with many other similar tests for checking adulteration in food items. The van was equipped with analytical instruments such as milk analyser, hot-air over, hot plate, multi parameter hand-held meter, digital refractometer, mixer-grinder and digital weighing scale.

Around 40 different types of tests on food items could be conducted by availing the facility and the report was also made available on the spot.

The van would have a fixed route for the day and visit various areas. The place where the van would visit on a particular day was announced a day prior so that people were aware of its arrival in their area.

City resident Kamaljit Kaur said she used to get milk samples tested regularly by using the facility.

“Whenever there would be a misappropriation, I would warn my milkman. I have been waiting for the van now for months and the wait has been going on endlessly,” she said.

District Health Officer Dr Gurpreet Singh said the department was planning to restart the van once again and programme had been chalked out for the same. The van will now also be visiting Moga along with Ludhiana. A lab technician and a driver had been appointed and soon, the vehicle would start operating again.