Uttarakhand: Dhami government became strict, no shopkeeper will be able to sell buckwheat flour without license, it will be sold only in sealed pack, Food Department issued advisory

Two days ago, more than 300 people fell ill in Dehradun and Haridwar after eating dishes made of buckwheat flour. Even before this, many cases of people falling ill due to buckwheat flour have come to light. Therefore, the government has now taken some strict steps. Food Safety and Drug Administration Uttarakhand has clarified that now buckwheat flour cannot be sold at general stores without a license.

Also, the Food Safety and Drug Administration has clarified that from now on, only sealed buckwheat flour i.e. packet buckwheat flour will be sold. Food Safety and Drug Administration Department Commissioner Dr. R Rajesh Kumar said that on the instructions of the government, a new guideline has been issued regarding the sale of buckwheat flour in the state.

According to the instructions issued by the department, now no businessman will be able to sell buckwheat flour in the open. It will be sold only in sealed packets. Apart from this, it will be mandatory to follow the labeling rules on the packet as per the Food Safety Act- 2006.

Commissioner Dr. R Rajesh Kumar said that according to food safety standards, it will be necessary to clearly write the date of grinding of buckwheat flour, date of packaging and expiry date on the packet. Apart from this, it will also be mandatory to enter the food license number of the seller on every packet. In such a situation, buckwheat flour and seeds cannot be sold without a valid food license.

Along with this, all food traders will have to keep a written record of purchase and sale. Strict action will be taken for selling buckwheat flour in the open without permission. Let us tell you that in the last few years, incidents of suffering from diseases like food poisoning due to the use of adulterated buckwheat flour have been continuously coming to the fore in Dehradun and Haridwar and other districts. To prevent such incidents from happening again in the future, the government has already decided to take strict measures.

In this regard, the FDA Commissioner has instructed the DMs of all the districts to strictly follow the new rules. For this, keep conducting regular checks and inspections. If any seller is found violating these rules, legal action will be taken against him.

Commissioner R Rajesh Kumar said that many samples of buckwheat flour have been found unsafe in the investigation. As part of the ongoing campaign in the state, intensive inspection and sample collection is being done in all the districts of the state, in which samples of buckwheat flour taken from 6 institutions were found unsafe.

These samples were tested in the State Food and Drug Testing Laboratory located in Rudrapur. Mycotoxin toxic has been found in buckwheat flour. In such a situation, the Food Safety and Drug Administration has given instructions to file a case in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 regarding these adulterated and unsafe samples.