Under the special National Annual Surveillance Plan (NASP), an initiative of Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), a number of surveillance samples were lifted by the Food Safety Officers of Kohima, Mokokchung and Dimapur Zone on fresh fruits & vegetables, food grains, organic foods, confectionaries including chocolates, packaged drinking water/mineral water, paneer & dairy analogues, jaggery samples etc.

In this regard, a total of 97 survey samples were lifted from Kohima, Mokokchung, Dimapur, Phek and Tuensang and sent to the State Food Lab i.e. State Public Health Laboratory, Kohima, and to various other National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). Apart from the special surveillance drive, food samples are lifted every month of both survey and enforcement samples.

In continuation to the above, surveillance drive on dairy analogues and used cooking oil is ongoing to check and prevent food adulteration, fraud regarding the standards, labelling, and misinterpretation of dairy analogue products and also to check/prevent the re-entry of used cooking oil in the food chain.

(DIPR)