Ahmedabad, May 6 (IANS) The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has collected Rs 11.61 lakh in administrative charges during April month as part of an extensive food safety drive that also resulted in the inspection of 2,153 food business units, issuance of 498 notices and destruction of 1,015 kg and 1,148 litres of unsafe food.

According to the civic body’s Health Department on Tuesday, the Food Department conducted inspections across various zones of the city between April 1 and April 30 under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

During this period, 367 Total Plate Count tests were carried out to assess food quality and safety.

A total of 933 samples were collected from different food categories.

These included 74 samples of cold beverages such as juice, lassi, ice cream, sherbet and ice gola; 45 samples of sugarcane juice, mango milkshake and watermelon juice; 101 samples of paneer; and 133 samples of milk and milk products.

Other samples comprised 24 of sweets; 49 of panipuri water, puri, potato mixture and ragda; 47 of non-vegetarian products; 23 of bakery products; 29 of namkeen; 21 of pulses, flour, rice and grains; 14 of edible oil; 96 of spices; and 277 classified as others.

Of these, 40 samples were declared substandard, and action was taken against the respective food business operators in accordance with the law.

Several establishments were sealed during the enforcement drive for violations including absence of licences, unhygienic conditions, presence of insects and misrepresentation of food products.

On April 6, Bhairavnath Punjabi Tadka in Vastral area was sealed after it was found operating without a food safety licence, using paneer analogue instead of paneer and maintaining unhygienic conditions.

On April 7, Punjab Di Mahak in Navrangpura area was sealed after insects were found on the premises.

On April 8, Janata Mutton and Chicken Center in Amraiwadi area was sealed due to unhygienic conditions.

On April 9, Shree Jalaram Parotha House in Saijpur area was sealed for operating without a licence, using paneer analogue and maintaining poor hygiene.

On April 10, Vraj Dairy in Nana Chiloda area was sealed after inspectors found it manufacturing paneer analogue and selling it as paneer.

Further action was taken on April 11 when another outlet of Shree Jalaram Parotha House in the Gota area was sealed for unhygienic conditions.

On April 13, Jay Jay Shrinathji Chavana Bhandar in Bapunagar area was sealed after expired food items were found along with unhygienic conditions.

Patel Dairy in Saijpur Bogha and Shree Umiya Dudh Ghar in Bapunagar were sealed on April 15 and April 21 respectively for similar violations.

On April 24, Tasty Thrills LLP (RP’s Pizzeria) in Navrangpura area was sealed after inspectors found live and dead insects in a deep freezer inside the kitchen.

A butter manufacturing unit in Shahpur area was sealed on April 27 for operating without a licence, maintaining unhygienic conditions and failing to comply with regulatory requirements.

On April 30, Profi-C Food and Beverages (Barbeque World) in Ambawadi was sealed after live insects were found inside a refrigerator in the kitchen.

The Health Department said it would continue inspections in the coming days with a focus on hygiene standards and compliance with licensing and registration requirements.

“In the coming days, intensive checking of all food business units will be carried out regarding hygienic conditions and licence/registration,” the department said in the statement.

It also added, “If units are found operating without licence/registration or not complying with rules, strict action will be taken against them under the FSSAI/GPMC Act.”

–IANS

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