Amid concerns over food adulteration, unsafe cooking practices and the circulation of substandard medicines, the Gautam Budh Nagar district administration has decided to strengthen food and drug safety across urban and rural areas, officials said.
The decision was taken at a district-level review chaired by district magistrate (DM) Medha Roopam on Friday, where officials flagged the need for stricter compliance and timely enforcement to prevent adulterated food and unsafe medicines from reaching consumers.
“The objective is to ensure that food and medicines available to the public strictly comply with safety and quality norms. Any deviation found during testing will invite action as per law”, the DM said in a statement.
Officials said monitoring will extend beyond conventional food outlets to include restaurants, roadside eateries and canteens operating in schools, colleges and hostels, citing the vulnerability of young consumers.
Assistant commissioner (food) II, Sarvesh Kumar Mishra said, “Enforcement would be carried out in line with statutory provisions. Sampling and inspections are being conducted as per food safety norms, and any sample found non-compliant during laboratory examination will be dealt with under the Food Safety and Standards Act”.
The district has also flagged concerns over the reuse of cooking oil and improper handling of food products, practices linked to long-term health risks. Officials said an advisory is being prepared to raise awareness on safe food practices, food fortification and the proper disposal of used cooking oil.
In the pharmaceutical sector, authorities have been directed to intensify scrutiny of medical stores, drug manufacturing units and cosmetic product sellers to curb the sale of fake, expired or substandard medicines. Surprise checks and verification of records will form part of the monitoring process, officials said.
The administration has further asked departments to ensure timely recovery of penalties imposed on violators in earlier cases, warning that delays weaken enforcement and encourage repeat offences. “The measures are aimed at strengthening consumer confidence in food and drug safety systems and ensuring that regulatory standards are enforced consistently across the district”, added Kumar.
In a related incident earlier this week, the food safety department had issued a notice to a private university in Knowledge Park after complaints of worms being found in food served at a hostel mess. Officials had inspected the facility, flagged unhygienic conditions in the kitchen and storage areas, and lifted samples for laboratory testing, directing the management to take corrective measures within a stipulated timeframe.