Rajkot, Aug 1 (IANS) The Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) sealed three food establishments, destroyed more than 1,000 kg of inedible food and collected 10 food samples during a surveillance drive aimed at checking food adulteration and unhygienic practices across the city, officials said on Saturday.
According to the RMC Health Department, food safety teams inspected 75 establishments, including restaurants and food businesses.
During the drive, around 1,020 kg of stale and inedible food was destroyed, notices were issued to 12 establishments for violations related to storage, licensing and hygiene, and administrative charges totalling Rs 34,500 were recovered.
Among the units sealed was Kesar Food Products in the industrial area near Vavdi village. Officials said flour being used as a raw material for food preparation was found packed in bags printed as “animal feed”, while prepared farsan was stored directly on the floor in unhygienic conditions.
Around 1,020 kg of sweet shakkarpara and flour was destroyed. The unit was issued a notice, charged Rs 5,000, and samples of loose sweet shakkarpara and sugar powder were collected.
Another sealed unit, Shah Food Processing Private Limited on Gondal Road, was found operating without the required technical personnel and without maintaining batch-wise production records.
Inspectors also found premix essences without mandatory labels under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, along with tea and coffee premixes, soft drink concentrates, food additives, preservatives and soda masala.
About 5,972 kg of food products and nearly 2,000 litres of different flavoured essences without manufacturing or expiry dates were seized. The unit was issued a notice over unhygienic storage, fined Rs 10,000, and samples of loose mango powder and sweetener were collected.
The third unit, Shrinathji Trading, also on Gondal Road, was sealed after officials found no batch-wise production records and around 5,600 kg of suspected stock of chilli, turmeric and coriander-cumin powders packed without labels required under the Food Safety and Standards Act.
The establishment was fined Rs 10,000, served a notice over unhygienic storage, and samples of the three spice powders were collected.
The corporation also imposed administrative charges ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 on several other businesses for licence-related violations and nuisance, while additional samples of loose mawa, malai and buffalo milk were collected from dairy outlets.
Officials said inspections were carried out at numerous food businesses across University Road, the 150-Feet Ring Road and the Shraddha Park area as part of the surveillance exercise.
–IANS
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