FDA officials warn people against eating out

After 200 odd cases of food poisoning were reported in the past week from different parts of western Maharashtra,the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked the public to go easy on the festive food.

In a press conference called by the FDA on Wednesday,officials asked people to be cautious while eating from festival stalls,particularly sweets. “Mewa,which is used in most Indian sweets,is often responsible for causing gastric problems,especially if its is stale. Food from crowded stalls must be avoided as the chances of disease causing bacteria spreading in congested places is high. Most of the water-borne illnesses are caused by the food handlers themselves,” said Dr Suresh Deshmukh,assistant commissioner (Food),FDA. “Though it does become difficult to not eat out during festivals,a little bit of caution goes a long way,” he added.

Last week,the FDA banned the sale of varai cereal,which had reportedly caused cases of food poisoning in Pune,Solhapur and Kolhapur districts. Varai is commonly consumed during Navratri.

The number of gastric infection cases in the city has also risen over the past month. City doctors,however,call this a regular annual phenomenon. “We get at least 10 cases a day of stomach problems during the festive season. Most of them are children,who eat out and suffer from vomiting and diarrhoea,” said Dr M Aigal,medical superintendent of Kasturba Hospital. Sion,Nair and KEM hospitals have also been getting more than 15 cases daily of gastric infections.