A website for food safety and a mobile app for consumers were launched by Health Minister Ma. Subramanian on Wednesday.
The Minister said the website would provide information about the Food Safety Department’s activities, banned items, Acts governing food safety and licences. The website — www.foodsafety.tn.gov.in — would be available in English and Tamil. The TN Consumer App for mobiles can be downloaded for Android and iOS platforms.
Recently, the department introduced a WhatsApp number for consumers to get their grievances redressed. Besides, short films on reuse of edible oils and food fortification are being popularised on social media.
The Food Safety Department had also confiscated 16,209 kg of fruits, worth around ₹9.2 lakh, that had been ripened through harmful artificial methods, the Minister said. He urged traders to refrain from using chemicals and called for the use of traditional means such as leaving them in a room for a few days to ripen.
Under the Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme, the State had increased not only the premium but also the sum insured value. The latter had been raised from ₹2 lakh to ₹5 lakh.
The number of beneficiaries had risen to 2,86,579 in 2022, he said. In the same year, ₹241.15 crore had been returned from the insurance company to the State government.
