Surprise Checks At School Canteens For Food Safety; Indore Collector Orders Hygiene Review

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a proactive move to ensure food safety in educational institutions, the District Food Safety Department conducted surprise inspections at multiple school canteens across Indore on Monday. The drive was carried out following directives from Collector Asheesh Singh, and under the guidance of Additional Collector Gaurav Bainal, with a focus on hygiene, food quality and storage standards.

Four inspection teams were deployed to visit leading schools, where a total of 34 food samples were collected for testing. At Shishukunj International School, Jhalaria, officials gathered 10 samples that included ghee, flour, gram flour, five varieties of spices and two types of edible oil.

The team inspecting Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar on AB Road collected six items such as ghee, vegetables, pulses, rock salt, paneer, and peanut oil. At Delhi Public School, Nipania, 11 food items were sampled, including paneer, curd, gulab jamun, sauces, ketchup, vinegar and prepared vegetables.

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The inspections were carried out under the framework of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Each school was assessed for overall campus cleanliness, hygiene practices of food handlers, method of raw material storage, presence of pest control measures, and quality of drinking water supplied to students. While the hygiene conditions were largely satisfactory, officials noted some minor documentation lapses at a few institutions.

Following the inspections, school administrations were instructed to ensure high standards of cleanliness in all food preparation and storage areas. They were also asked to conduct water testing through NABL-accredited labs, store perishable items at safe and regulated temperatures, and implement consistent checks of both raw and cooked food stocks.

A timeframe of 15 days has been provided for the schools to make necessary corrections, after which the food safety teams will conduct follow-up reviews. The administration has indicated that such surprise checks will continue periodically to ensure sustained compliance with food safety norms.