Strict rules framed for sale of buckwheat flour in Uttarakhand

Dehradun, With nearly 300 people falling ill in Dehradun after eating food items made of contaminated buckwheat flour, strict rules were framed on Wednesday for its sale in Uttarakhand, making it mandatory for grocers not to sell it in the open without a licence.

The food safety and drug administration department has decided to implement the strict rules to ensure the quality of buckwheat flour and prevent incidents like the one that happened on Monday, the commissioner of the department, R Rajesh Kumar, said.

On the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat, new guidelines have been issued regarding the sale of buckwheat flour in the hill state, he said.

Now, no grocer will be able to sell buckwheat flour in the open. It will be sold only in sealed packets. Besides, it has been made mandatory to follow the labelling rules in accordance with the Food Safety Act, 2006 on the packet, Kumar said.

It will be necessary to clearly mention the date of grinding of the buckwheat flour, the date of packaging and the expiry date on the packet.

Apart from this, it has been made mandatory to mention the food licence number of the seller on every packet, Kumar said, adding that if any seller is found violating these rules, legal action will be taken against him.

Consumption of buckwheat flour during Navratri is common in Uttarakhand.

Kumar said consumers should buy buckwheat flour only in sealed packs after carefully checking the manufacturing and expiry dates, licence number and other details mentioned on the packet.

Six buckwheat flour samples have failed the tests during an ongoing campaign against adulteration of food items, he said.

The presence of mycotoxins was detected in most of these samples, which were tested at the State Food and Drug Testing Laboratory in Rudrapur, Kumar said.

A case will be lodged against all the companies and stores from where the samples were collected, he added.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.