News: Karnataka Health Minister U.T. Khader launched the ‘Eat Right’ campaign to promote healthy and hygienic eating habits and strengthen food safety across the State.

About

• Citizen-led Food Safety Watch Teams: To be formed at the taluk level across Karnataka.
• Members: Senior citizens, former food-safety officials and experienced chefs.
• Role: Inspect food-serving places and report violations to authorities.
• Food Safety Inspections: PGs, hostels, hotels, dhabas, anganwadis and catering centres will be inspected.

Key Measures

• 10-day deadline: PGs and other establishments will get 10 days to rectify food-safety violations, after which penalties will be imposed.
• Food Testing: Samples from hotels at railway stations, airports and airlines will be collected for laboratory analysis.
• Hotel Owners’ Meeting: The department will meet owners of various-star hotels to discuss food-safety concerns and suggestions.
• Food Safety Conclave: Karnataka will organise a conclave with Union food-safety officials and counterparts from other States.

Significance

• Promotes safe, hygienic and healthy food consumption.
• Strengthens citizen participation in food-safety monitoring.
• Helps improve compliance with food-safety standards across the State.