Report

During the festive season, food safety authorities across India are ramping up efforts to protect consumers. In Nagpur, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confiscated significant quantities of contaminated food, while in Godhra, a shop received a notice for poor hygiene after a customer discovered fungus in candies. Meanwhile, in Bhopal, officials collected samples from various stores to ensure food safety. Here’s a brief overview of these critical initiatives aimed at safeguarding public health during the holiday celebrations.

Nagpur: Large Seizures of Contaminated Food

Under the festive food safety initiative mandated by the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, the FDA in the Nagpur Division, Maharashtra, confiscated large quantities of contaminated food items before Diwali. This operation focused on typical festival foods, including dairy products, edible oils, flours, and sweets. The FDA seized 8,886 kg of flour products valued at Rs. 14.5 lakhs and collected 146 samples totalling 13,240 kg. Additionally, they confiscated 63 samples of edible oils. The operation also targeted milk products, sweets, and ghee, resulting in the seizure of 688 kg of sweets valued at Rs. 1.1 lakh and 1,174 kg of ghee valued at Rs. 4.8 lakhs. All samples have been sent for laboratory analysis, and the FDA plans to pursue legal action based on the results.

Godhra: Hygiene Violations Lead to Official Notice

In Godhra, Gujarat, officials issued a notice to a shop to improve sanitary standards after a customer found fungus in a packet of “kesar pedas” candies. Following a complaint to the Panchmahal Civil Supplies Department, food safety inspectors discovered outdated candies and noted unsanitary conditions in the store, including a packet with a hair. To ensure safety, officials collected ten food samples for laboratory testing and disposed of any suspicious or unfit candies. The store has been instructed to enhance its hygiene practices.

Bhopal: Proactive Sampling to Ensure Food Quality

In Bhopal, the Madhya Pradesh FDA teams collected nearly 100 samples from various stores over ten days to prevent the sale of tainted food items during the holiday season. However, laboratory test results will not be available until after Diwali. The samples sent to the state-level laboratory for analysis include mawa, paneer, milk products, candies, and namkeen. Although the usual reporting period is 14 days, results are expected only after the festival. “Samples of mawa, mithai, paneer, namkeen, and other food items were taken from more than 30 shops and sent to the laboratory for testing. Their test report will come after Diwali,” stated Chief Food Safety Officer Devendra Dubey, emphasizing that the sample collection does not imply any legal violations by the food establishments. On Saturday, the team diligently gathered 11 samples from six different stores.

Source: The Times of India