Dehradun, Apr 1 (PTI) The Health Department of Uttarakhand on Tuesday set up a committee to look into the episode in which nearly 300 people fell ill here after consuming items made of adulterated buckwheat flour on the occasion of Navratri.
Nearly 300 people had to be hospitalised on Sunday night and Monday after they developed symptoms of food poisoning after consuming items made of adulterated buckwheat flour here. The buckwheat flour that caused the illness was supplied from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
The committee has been asked to examine all aspects of the case in detail and submit its report within three days, Health Secretary R Rajesh Kumar said.
The report will also include the panel's suggestions to prevent a repeat of such incidents in the future, he said.
The Food Safety and Drug Administration conducted raids at more than 1,500 grocery outlets, served notices to more than two dozen retailers and destroyed 100 kg of buckwheat.
The health secretary also asked people to be cautious about the quality of food items they buy from the marketplace.
Based on interrogations with the patients, the police have identified and sealed 22 shops from where the buckwheat flour was purchased. All food items from these shops have been confiscated and the shopkeepers have been called for questioning, officials said.