more-in Nexus between the food safety officers, testing labs and hotels on checking on the adulterated food came to the fore when the sleuths of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested five persons, including a restaurant owner, and a senior GHMC official, on Sunday. GHMC’s assistant food controller K. Balaji Raju, record assistant A. Jagan, State Food Laboratory (SFL) chief public analyst under Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) N. Ravindra, Haveli Bar & Restaurant, Begumpet, owner K.V. Narsing Rao, and his accountant K. Srinivas, were arrested and sent to judicial custody for remand “for issuing false food testing certificates and endangering the lives of citizens”. Cell phones and a bribe amount of ?1.25 lakh was also seized. A press release from the ACB DG said that on receiving credible information that money was exchanging hands between the GHMC food control officials and SFL’s officials for manipulation of adulterated food analysis reports, a surprise check was conducted on the lab premises, on July 15. Tampering report It said that on March 7 earlier this year, food Inspector of Central Zone, GHMC, collected the samples of ‘chicken biryani’ in the restaurant and sent the samples to SFL, Nacharam, for report. ‘Unsafe’ report The analyst examined the samples and gave an ‘unsafe’ report. “In order to change the report by sending the samples to the Central Food Laboratory, Pune, and at the behest of bar owner K.V. Narsinga Rao, the Assistant Food Controller, GHMC, colluded with the Chief Public Analyst to influence the Central Lab authorities at Pune,” a press release said. SFL gets about 10,000 samples of food items by GHMC officials of which 10% to 20 % items are found to be adulterated. Main causative agents for food adulteration being used are synthetic food colours, sub-standard food quality, fake branded food items and not mentioning the batch and date of manufacturing of the food items. Synthetic colours It could also happen due to use of hazardous synthetic colours like tatrazine, sunset yellow, erythrosine, fast green, brilliant blue etc., to make food item look more attractive but which can cause damage to the liver, kidney and digestive system on consumption, the release explained.

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