Key Development

FDA (Food and Drugs Administration )officers in Goa recently uncovered major cases of food adulteration during recent inspections. At the Mollem border, they seized a vehicle carrying unlabeled sugarcane jaggery. Laboratory tests confirmed the jaggery contained 17.48 mg/kg of Sunset Yellow and 62.67 mg/kg of Tartrazine—both synthetic colours banned in jaggery. “Manufacturers added large amounts of colour to jaggery, even though the law prohibits any addition,” said Shweta Dessai, Director of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). Officers destroyed 600 kg of the adulterated product on the spot.

Officers Bust Paneer Analogue Factory

In another operation, FDA officers intercepted a suspicious milk tanker at the same border earlier this month. Their investigation led them to a factory in Kundaim, Ponda, where workers were producing paneer analogue using vegetable oil and skimmed milk. “When our team raided the unit at night, workers tried to burn large quantities of vegetable oil packets to destroy evidence. The factory sold paneer analogue as genuine paneer to restaurants and starred hotels,” Dessai revealed.

Tests Confirm Adulteration in Paneer

Laboratory analysis of seized samples detected 1.576 mg/kg of Sitosterol—a substance not permitted in dairy paneer. “The unit misled consumers into believing they were eating protein-rich paneer,” Dessai explained. Officials filed a case before the adjudicating officer in South Goa for selling substandard and misbranded food. They also found that the unit was operating with only a basic registration, instead of the mandatory license required for large-scale production.

Owner Faces Legal Action

Investigators discovered that the unit’s owner, a Pondicherry native with a pharmacy degree and a foreign post-graduation, had set up the factory just months ago. “We were shocked to find an educated person running such an operation,” Dessai said. FDA officers sealed the facility and initiated further legal proceedings.

Source: The Times of India