IMPHAL, June 9: The Health Department has stated that as there are press reports of selling food items such as `Maggie`™ and `Baby Milk Powder of Nestle India`™ which are found to be not fit for human consumption and hazardous to health, all Food Safety Officers are directed to take up immediate surveillance and inspection works in their respective jurisdictions to check if the food items being sold in the State fulfills all the mandatory requirements prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Food Safety and Standard Requirement Act, 2011 .
According to the official memorandum of the department, there are also reports of importing many packaged food items from Myanmar into the State by Food Business Operators and the standards and quality of such food items need to be checked and analyzed properly before consumption by the public.
The FSOs are also directed to take sample of any food items or substances which are stored for sale by the Food Business Operators in contravention of the aforesaid Act and the Regulations and take up necessary actions for sending/referring to Food Testing Laboratory for analysis for further course of action as per rules, it said.
The Food Safety Officers will submit a daily back report of actions so far taken to the Commissioner of Food Safety/Principal Secretary (Health and FW), Government of Manipur, it said.