Surat: Food department of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) inspected food stalls at six major Navratri venues on Tuesday to ensure food safety and hygiene amid large crowds of revellers consuming food and beverages at the events.Food safety officers checked stalls at large-scale garba venues, where thousands of people gather every night, as well as at an SMC-organised food festival.During the drive, officials checked food stalls for cleanliness and compliance with food safety norms. Vendors were instructed to maintain hygiene and ensure that staff involved in preparing and serving food wore aprons, caps and gloves. Notices were issued for violations related to infrastructure, hygiene and food quality, with directions to rectify the shortcomings and ensure safe food for visitors.Officials also guided vendors on obtaining temporary licences and instructed them to secure the necessary permissions immediately. Suspected and verification samples of food items were collected from multiple stalls and sent to the SMC’s Public Health Laboratory for analysis.The inspection covered Kesariya Navratri in Bharthana, Suvarna Navratri and Garbi Navratri on Dumas Road, O G Navratri at Sarsana, Gujarat Garba Galaxy on Dumas Road and Yashvi Navratri on Abhva Road. A total of 116 food stalls were inspected and 113 food samples collected across the six venues. Notices were issued to 43 stalls for issues related to infrastructure, hygiene and food quality.The team also inspected the SMC-organised food festival in Athwalines, where another 20 samples were collected.All samples have been sent to the SMC’s Public Health Laboratory for testing, with results expected within three days.“Since last year, we have been conducting inspection and sample collection drives at Navratri venues where events are held at night. With increased awareness, most stall operators and garba organisers take proper care to ensure that good-quality food is served,” a health official said.
