Food safety department finds nearly 30% of kebab samples in Bengaluru unsafe for consumption
Bengaluru: A recent inspection by the Food Safety and Standards Department revealed alarming levels of contamination in food items across Bengaluru, particularly in kebabs. The special drive, conducted in July, found that 78 out of 275 kebab samples tested—approximately 28%—were unsafe for consumption due to the presence of harmful artificial colors like sunset yellow and tartrazine.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao highlighted these findings, and stressed on the department's ongoing efforts to address food safety concerns. The inspection also revealed that 15% of gobi (cauliflower) samples contained unsafe artificial coloring agents, specifically sunset yellow and carmoisine.
Vegetables and fruits, while comparatively safer, were not entirely free from contamination. About 10% of the 266 samples tested showed high levels of pesticide traces and fungal growth. Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao assured the public that allegations about unsafe produce from Kolar were unfounded based on their tests. However, he noted that the department plans to collaborate with the agriculture department to study the effects of treated water on crops in the region.
The minister also mentioned that reports on the safety of other food items, such as paneer, khova, and cakes, which were collected in August, are expected soon. Additionally, food from several PG accommodations is under scrutiny following complaints.
In response to the findings, the department plans to release monthly reports on their activities, including sample analyses and past cases. The minister also announced an upcoming special inspection drive focusing on fish, meat, and egg preparations in hotels and restaurants, scheduled for August 30 and 31.
Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao stressed the importance of food vendors obtaining proper licenses, revealing that 32% of vendors currently operate without one. He urged the Commissioner of Food Safety to ensure full compliance and suggested that vendors be trained on the harmful effects of certain food preparation practices, especially the use of artificial colors.
To increase public involvement in food safety, the department has acquired 3,400 food testing kits that will be available in malls and on streets. These kits, available for a small user fee, will allow consumers to test food for chemical content and quality, providing both confidence to the public and valuable data to the department.
The July inspection drive led to the examination of 3,467 food vendors, with 986 receiving notices for inadequate sanitation. Fines totaling Rs 4.9 lakh were imposed on 132 vendors, and 96 legal cases were filed against defaulters in the JMFC court, marking the first time such a large volume of cases has been brought to court in a single month.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
