Kolkata: The owners of around 16 sweet and confectionery shops across the city, which came under the lens of KMC during a special food safety drive, are working on implementing the food inspectors’ recommendations over the next two weeks. Some of them are also seeking clarity from the inspectors regarding the annual medical examination and inoculation of food handlers.In coordination with the food inspectors’ recommendations, Misti Udyog – sweets and savouries entrepreneurs’ association are helping the sweet traders, who have been served notice by the KMC, to bring “hygienic and healthy” practices under their roofs.The food safety lapses found at these shops range from invalid FSSAI licence, lack of manufacturing licence, absence of date tag on products, waste bins without lids to freezers without proper temperature, uncovered sweet kept outside shelves, unhygienic condition of manufacturing area, lack of pest and rodent control and unhygienic storage of ingredients used in preparing sweet.Dhiman Das, president of the association told TOI: “The food safety drive at sweet shops was needed and we are already helping the shop owners to comply with the recommendations given by the food safety officers. We are planning to train the sweet sellers, especially makers, to maintain cleanliness and hygiene.”Santu Khatua, a worker of Girish Chandra Dey & CO at Bhowanipore said, “The inspecting team has asked us to clean up the manufacturing area and we are working on it.”
