Manipur Health department has drawn up plans to monitor and check the quality of foods imported from outside the state particularly from Myanmar.
Disclosing this to media during an interaction at his official chamber in Imphal on Wednesday, State Health and Family Welfare Minister L Jayentakumar, said they are also taking up steps to test the different food items available in the markets through food safety unit.
Supplementing the Minister’s statement, the state’s food analysist Ch Sanajaoba also informed that the process to procure new equipment and machines for testing different food items is on the pipeline.
“If we place order in the current month for these required equipment from abroad, hopefully we can start the process within March,” Sanajaoba said.
The Health Minister and officials also expressed concern about the report of presence of hazardous items in the food items due to lack of proper testing facilities in the State.
Murmurs also do the rounds time and again of the presence of certain preservatives including formalin, a preservative which has the potential to cause cancer, in the fish, imported from other states.
Manipur has been battling with various health issues including cancer and the reason for this has often been attributed to consumption of adulterated food and unhealthy lifestyle of the populace.
Reacting to various suggestions of integration of some of the line departments for better management of hazardous waste including the bio-medical waste generated in the towns, the Minister also assured all possible steps to curb health and food safety related issues.
The day’s interaction session which revolved round the health related issues including the functions and responsibilities of food safety unit, was also attended by the senior health services officials.