The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will begin displaying ingredients and nutritional values for selected dishes at its headquarters canteen in Fort by the end of October, following the facility’s shutdown by the Food and Drug Administration over food-safety violations. The civic body plans to extend the initiative to canteens at its 26 ward offices and civic-run hospitals, including Nair and JJ hospitals.
The pilot will be implemented at the canteen on the first floor of the BMC headquarters annex building. The facility serves hundreds of people each day, including civic employees, citizens, contractors, politicians, pensioners and labourers visiting the municipal headquarters.
The decision follows an FDA inspection that found violations of food-safety norms at the canteen. The agency sealed the facility on July 23 after suspending the operator’s licence. M/s Kamal Caterers Private Limited had been served an FDA notice on July 22.
The canteen reopened in August after an FDA re-inspection recorded improvements and rated the premises 94 per cent compliant. Following the reopening, the BMC’s canteen committee made a preliminary visit to collect information about the snacks and meals served at the facility and prepare a list of nutritious options.
According to a government official quoted by The Indian Express, the committee’s list has been submitted to the BMC’s in-house nutritionist. The nutritionist is preparing detailed information on the nutritional values of selected food items. After receiving final approval, the BMC will put up small posters across the canteen listing the ingredients in each item and identifying its most prominent nutritional value.
The initiative is also linked to a September 2 order issued by the government’s Public Health Department. The order mandates balanced and healthy meals at government and semi-government meetings, along with healthier snacks in canteens.
The proposed expansion will cover canteens in the BMC’s ward offices and civic hospitals. The Indian Express reported that the posters will be introduced gradually at the additional facilities, including the canteens at Nair and JJ hospitals. The BMC’s immediate milestone is the final approval of the nutrition information and installation of the first posters at the Fort headquarters canteen by October-end.
