World Class food testing laboratory to be set up in Goa

Panaji: np news 24 online -Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu on Monday said that the Central government will set up a laboratory in Goa to check the quality of food items after certain apprehensions were expressed about it in the recent past.

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Prabhu held meeting with State Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai in Panaji this afternoon to discuss setting up of the laboratory by Central government’s Export Inspection Agency (EIA) and Quality Council of India (QCI).

State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, last week, had a preliminary meeting with Prabhu in Delhi over the issue.

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“Last week it was pointed out to us by State Health Minister that there are certain apprehensions in the mind of people about the quality of fish,” Prabhu told reporters at Porvorim.

He said that during the meeting it was decided that to the quality of food that is available in Goa should be confirming the best of the quality.

“Anything that is edible must be the best quality. Keeping that in mind we have decided to set up a world-class laboratory in Goa,” he said.

He said that the organizations like EIA, whose certification is accepted by countries like Europe, Japan, and the USA would be assisting in setting up the quality testing facility in Goa.

The minister said that a mobile van would also be commissioned that the specific complaints can be dealt with.

“Also, we are going to give online assistance to the complaints so that they can be addressed immediately with substantiated laboratory tests,” he added.

Sardesai said that basically, the governments (central and state) are trying to bring in a system by which staple diet of Goan people is assured that it is safe. “No mother or sister has to worry that child or younger brother, what he is eating is a food or poison. We want to build that system,” he added.

Apprehensions were raised in the past about presence of formalin that is being imported in the State.