Crackdown on food adulteration: 112 kg rice bran oil destroyed, substandard sauces seized in Lucknow
The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) conducted multiple raids across the city on Tuesday and Monday, seizing large quantities of substandard and adulterated food items as part of a crackdown on illegal food practices that compromise public health.
On Tuesday, FSDA’s vigilance led to the seizure of 112kg of rice bran oil that was being manufactured under unhygienic conditions at a unit on TS Mishra Road, near Kakori. The oil, which was intended for sale, was found stored in filthy conditions, prompting the team to confiscate and destroy it immediately. Officials also seized various food items, including cookies, milk, paneer, sabudana papad, kachari, khoya, and mustard oil from multiple establishments across the city.
“A total of 112kg rice bran oil, meant for sale, was stored in filthy conditions, which is why it was seized. We are also conducting searches to ensure that no other stock of this oil has been dumped into the market,” said assistant commissioner (food) Vijay Pratap Singh.
On Monday, another team from FSDA raided a firm in Mahona, Bakshi Ka Talab, uncovering a large-scale adulteration operation. Officials found adulterated and substandard vegetable and soy sauces being produced and stored in poor conditions. A substantial stock of these sauces, along with large quantities of ‘Taza Brand’ salt, was seized. The FSDA team halted operations and issued a notice to the owner of the firm. Samples of the adulterated sauces and salt were sent for analysis.
Singh said the raid also revealed 44 tins of inferior and adulterated jaggery syrup, which were seized. Upon examination, the FSDA team found that the vegetable and soy sauces were adulterated with potato pulp. As a result, 130 cans of vegetable sauce worth ₹13,000 and 13 cans of soy sauce worth ₹1,500 were confiscated. The raid also saw the seizure of 20 bags of substandard ‘Taza Brand’ salt, valued at around ₹10,000.
The FSDA collected 30 samples from this raid, all of which were sent for laboratory testing.
The agency has deployed six teams to conduct surprise inspections across markets in the city. Since March 7, they have been working to inspect food items in various markets, including khoya markets in Charbagh and Thakurganj. Over 220 samples have been collected from different establishments across the city in just five days of the crackdown. These samples are currently being tested in laboratories to determine their quality and safety for public consumption.
In a related operation, the FSDA also targeted several dairies manufacturing paneer and khoya, resulting in the destruction of around 40kg of paneer in Rajajipuram that was found to be unfit for consumption on Tuesday.
This article has been republished from The Hindustan Times