Welcome to Safe Food Mitra

safefoodmitra.com · 2023-11-18 23:38:06
Launched as part of FSSAI’s Eat Right initiative, BHOG aims at encouraging places of worship to adopt and maintain food safety and hygiene. The certification ensures quality of food offered to devotees at places of worship. It was launched by the FSSAI in 2020. The two places of worship that received the certification are St. Antony’s shrine, Kaloor, and St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Orthodox Syrian Church, Fort Kochi. A majority of religious places in Ernakulam are yet to undertake the evaluation process citing various reasons, according to the Department of Food Safety. They included temples under various Devaswom boards, which regularly organise ‘annadanam’ (food offering). Several mosques and churches too are yet to initiate the certification process. The administrations of places of worship seem hesitant as they need to go through a five-stage process of evaluation to get the certification. It includes the initial registration followed by pre-audit on 47 queries related to food safety norms and compliance under the heads of design and facilities, control of operation, maintenance and sanitation, personal hygiene, and training and maintenance of relevant records. In the third stage, training is given through FSSAI-empanelled training partners. The final audit is done by empanelled third party auditing agencies or hygienic rating auditors. The certification is valid for two years. The Food Safety Commissioner has urged Devaswom boards and administrations of other religious places of worship to undertake the evaluation process without delay. Old and defunct equipment used for preparing food must be replaced with new ones as per FSSAI norms. Food handlers should also go through a health verification process as part of the certification.

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