Rajkot civic body seals 3 food units, destroys 1,000 kg of stale food
Rajkot, Aug 1
The Rajkot Municipal Corporation 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
Reader Comments
The "animal feed" bag trick is so common in Gujarat. It's a well-known shortcut these food processors use to save money on packaging. Good that they got caught, but honestly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The spice powders without labels are even more dangerous — we unknowingly consume this stuff daily. RMC should also publish the names of the 12 establishments that got notices. Public pressure works better than fines alone.
Good initiative, but let's also question why these places were operating for so long without being checked. 75 inspections and 3 sealed — what about the remaining 72? Were they all perfectly clean? Doubt it. The system needs to be more proactive than reactive. Also, Rs 34,500 in penalties for this level of violation feels too less. A big company can easily pay this and continue business.
This is reassuring! As a mother, I'm always worried about what my kids eat outside — especially the sweets and farsan. The fact that they're checking dairy samples (mawa, malai) is great too. But we as consumers should also be careful — buy from trusted brands and shops, check labels, and report anything suspicious. Government can't be everywhere.
Having visited Rajkot on business, I find the city's food scene vibrant but cleanliness standards definitely vary. This crackdown is necessary. In the West, food safety inspections are much more frequent and penalties are severe enough to deter repeat offenders. I hope India continues to strengthen its enforcement under FSSAI. The people affected are often the most vulnerable — street-side consumers who trust these brands.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.