The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has sealed four food manufacturing units in the city for violating food safety and hygiene regulations during inspections carried out ahead of Diwali, when demand for sweets and savouries typically increases, IANS reported on Thursday, October 30.
Source: IANS via The Freedom Press
The four establishments sealed are Swastik Foods at Maheshwari Estate on Dudeshwar Road in Shahibaug; Shyam Sundar Food Products at Maheshwari Industrial Estate in Tavdipura; and Prakashkumar Kaniyalal and Amratlal Kuberadas Namkinwala, both located near Old Pratap Cinema on Gandhi Road.
At Swastik Foods, officials found no agreement with a Central government-recognised agency for the proper disposal of used cooking oil. The premises also lacked adequate arrangements for tiles, whitewashing and flooring, workers were not using caps, aprons, masks and hand gloves, and the unit was not complying with the hygiene and sanitary requirements prescribed under Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
At Shyam Sundar Food Products, the packaging and labelling of manufactured products did not comply with the prevailing regulations, officials said. The unit was also found violating FSSAI Schedule 4 provisions on hygiene during food production and storage, and had no recognised arrangement for the disposal of used cooking oil.
Inspections of Prakashkumar Kaniyalal and Amratlal Kuberadas Namkinwala revealed unsatisfactory hygienic and sanitary conditions, with neither unit complying with the required hygiene provisions during production, storage and sale, and neither holding an agreement with a government-recognised agency for used-oil disposal.
The civic body reiterated that food business operators using more than 50 kg of cooking oil daily for frying must have an agreement with a Central government-recognised agency for the proper storage and disposal of used cooking oil, and must ensure the oil is not reused through unauthorised means. Establishments operating without such agreements face action, including penalties and sealing.
The AMC has directed sweet and savoury manufacturers, packaged food producers and other food business operators to maintain hygienic conditions at production and storage facilities, ensure ingredient quality, make workers use caps, aprons, masks and hand gloves, comply with FSSAI Schedule 4, and meet the prescribed packaging and labelling requirements.
The Health and Food Department said inspections of establishments involved in the production, storage and sale of food products would continue across Ahmedabad through the Diwali period, with action, including penalties and sealing, against those found violating the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the rules framed under it.
Source: Nation Press — Ahmedabad