Leh: Food Safety on Wheels, a key initiative by the Food Safety, Drugs, and Food Control Administration of UT Ladakh, reached Government Degree College (GDC) Drass, where students received practical training in detecting food adulterants.
The awareness and testing programme was aimed at sensitizing students and faculty about food safety, common adulterants, and simple home-based testing methods for safer food practices. The expert team—Gazanfar Ali (FSO, Drass), Shahnaz Zarah (FSO, Kargil), Shamsiya Khatoon (FSO, Chiktan), and Humaira Yasmeen (Food Analyst, UT Ladakh)—led the sessions.
The event began with a welcome note by Mir Ishfaq, followed by a detailed briefing from Shahnaz Zarah, who highlighted the growing concerns around food fortification and the impact of food choices on public health. Humaira Yasmeen demonstrated easy techniques to detect everyday adulterants using household ingredients.
A highlight of the event was the Mobile Food Testing Van, where students actively participated in hands-on demonstrations to test commonly consumed food items.
The team also visited the college’s Food Processing Skill Training Centre (Pickle Making Unit) and appreciated the hygiene standards and quality of products. They offered valuable suggestions for improving the infrastructure and advised on FSSAI licensing procedures.
The programme, coordinated by Shujat Ali Mir (Assistant Professor) and Mir Ishfaq Ahmad (Instructor, Food Processing), received full support from Principal Nasir ul Mehdi Shabani. The initiative marked a major step toward promoting food safety awareness among students and the wider Drass community.
