FSSAI issues warning to nutraceutical companies in Himachal Pradesh
In the last six months, FDA Haryana has conducted vast drives seizing goods worth Rs 1,62,94,120
In order to keep a check on fake food articles, the Department of Food & Drugs Administration, Haryana, has conducted vast drives, seizing goods worth Rs 1,62,94,120 in the last six months.
Recently, the Department formed a four-member team on the instructions of the Health Minister Anil Vij for this purpose. The team includes one Designated Officer and three Food Safety Officers. Special raids are being conducted in various districts of Haryana frequently to keep a tab on milk, milk products, ghee, edible oils, and other food particles.
Food & Drugs Administration Commissioner Lalit Siwach said a total of 500 samples were seized and 171 out of those were found to be adulterated. In these raids, 28 samples were found to be “unsafe”. In regard to the legal action that can be initiated, the prosecution is being launched against the negligent Food Business Operator for 28 unsafe samples. For the remaining 143 samples, found to be misbranded (44) and substandard (99), charges will be filed before the Adjudicating Officers based on the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Speaking more on the matter, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rajiv Arora said the state government has been carrying out raids across the state and have recently seized 17,000 L of Vanaspati worth Rs 42,50,000 from Hisar, 11,483 L of desi ghee worth Rs 57,41,500, and 8,400 L of ghee worth Rs 42 lakh from Karnal.
On the raids conducted earlier this year, Arora shared that 642 L of adulterated “Haryana Fresh Agmark Desi Ghee”, 3,276 L of “Kedar Agmark Blended Vegetable Oil” and 1,145 L of “Haryana Fresh Agmark Desi Ghee and Shri Gobind Agmark Desi Ghee” worth Rs 4.58 lakhs were seized from Ambala. Additionally, 19,645 L of adulterated butter, ghee, milk powder etc. worth Rs 12,97,820 were seized from Kurukshetra and 1,250 L of butter, edible oil, ghee worth Rs 3,46,800 was seized from Karnal.
Ashwin Bhadri, CEO of Equinox Labs, expressed, “Maintaining food standards is of utmost importance in these troubled times. With so many food adulteration cases popping up nowadays, the aim should be to wipe it out from the country.”
Bhadri adds, “Conducting special raids like these in order to check the menace of spurious milk products, ghee, mustard oil, tea leaves and spices is just what we need right now.”