look news india
Dehradun, 28 August (HS). Food Safety and Drug Administration has started cracking down on cloud kitchen operators running unauthorizedly across the state. Under this, registration with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India will now be mandatory for cloud kitchens. Food Safety and Drug Administration has warned all operators to get registered under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India by September 15. After this, the department will run a campaign against operators who do not get registered.
Food Safety and Drug Administration Commissioner and Health Secretary Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar said that it has come to notice that many cloud kitchens operating in the state are ignoring food safety and standards. Many establishments have been found to be operating without being registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, violating major rules related to hygiene, use of potable water and general hygiene standards. In such a situation, efforts are being made to ensure registration and compliance with standards to protect the health of consumers. So that consumers can get clean food.
Tajbar Jaggi, Additional Commissioner of Food Safety and Drug Administration, says that in order to maintain the highest standards of public health and food safety in all food related businesses in Uttarakhand, SOP has been created for all cloud kitchens and it is mandatory to comply with it.
Additional Commissioner Tajbar Jaggi said that all cloud kitchen operators will have to register under the Food Safety Standards Act, 2006 by September 15. Legal action will be taken against operators who do not do so. For registration, operators have to provide valid proof of kitchen operation address, health certificate of food handler, drinking water certificate, test report regarding potability of water used in the kitchen and regular cleaning and hygiene of the kitchen premises. Apart from this, there should also be proper arrangement for disposal of waste.
It is worth noting that cloud kitchens are such commercial restaurants where no customer goes for food and food is only taken for takeout or delivery. This business is spreading rapidly in major cities and towns including Dehradun. It has been observed that questions are often raised on hygiene standards and quality of food in commercial kitchens. The department will now keep an eye on such cloud kitchen operators.