A heavy fine has been imposed on those providing adulterated and poor-quality food to people in the district. ADC Vivek Modi passed the order after food samples were collected and tested by the Health Department.
Whenever a sample fails, a case is filed in court. This month, a total of 11 cases have been registered, and decisions have been made in most of these cases.
One notable case involved a sample of sauce taken from the well-known restaurant chain 'Coffee Beans Tea Leaf' in Model Town. According to regulations, the acid fat parameter should be 0.2 percent, but the tested sample showed a level of 0.624 percent, which is extremely high and can cause stomach problems. Taking strict action, the ADC court imposed a fine of ₹2 lakh on the restaurant.
Similarly, a strict decision was taken against the restaurant Sattri Side Up in Model Town. The Health Department found that the cheese and culinary samples collected from this restaurant were substandard. Despite being issued two notices and ordered to appear, the restaurant failed to do so both times. On Wednesday, the court of ADC Vivek Modi issued summons to the restaurant through the police. If they fail to appear again, arrest warrants may be issued.
Other cases include:
- A fine of ₹20,000 for failure of a cow's milk sample at Rakesh Kumar Ghuman Dairy in Bulowal.
- A fine of ₹50,000 for failure of a cheese sample at Man Singh Samrat Trading Company in Bhogpur.
- A fine of ₹20,000 for failure of a cheese sample at Crispy Hawker, Bhogpur.
- A fine of ₹20,000 for failure of a cheese sample at Rajan Sweet Deepak Kumar, Bhogpur.
- Mangat Ram Malhi Sweet’s sample in Nakodar’s Pandori Khas did not fail, but a fine of ₹5,000 was imposed for lack of cleanliness.
- Ravi Kapoor Dairy, Jamsher Khas, was fined ₹20,000 for failure of a buffalo milk sample.
Food samples are collected in the district by the Health Department under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2011. There are three food safety officers in Jalandhar, although there are five sanctioned posts. Food Safety Officer Rashu Mahajan is responsible for Jalandhar-2 and 3, Mukul Gill for Jalandhar-1, and Prabhjot Singh for Jalandhar-4 and 5.
After collection, food samples are sent to the State Food Laboratory in Kharar. Cases are filed based on the laboratory reports. However, it has been observed that sampling in Jalandhar city is much less frequent compared to rural areas.