TG SAFE suspends licences of 9 food units over safety violations

Hyderabad: The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) has suspended the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licences of nine food manufacturing units in erstwhile Warangal and Ranga Reddy districts following inspections that revealed serious hygiene and food safety violations.

The enforcement teams also seized or discarded 5,555 kg of food articles worth Rs. 5,89,550 and collected 21 samples on suspicion of adulteration during special inspections conducted on October 29.

Ten teams comprising Food Safety Officers and police personnel inspected 20 units engaged in the manufacture and processing of spices, edible oils, dairy products, sweets, beverages and other food items.

The nine units whose licences were suspended and which were ordered to immediately stop operations include Hari Priya Products, Dayanand Ice Creams, Raju Ghee Sweet House Company, Sri Krishna Oil Mills, Ramesh Industries, Zion Food Products (Well Mark), Sri SMP Dairy, Kapil Foods and Krupa Bakery Products.

The inspections revealed rusted and unclean machinery, expired and mislabelled food products, pest infestations, rodent droppings, unhygienic manufacturing and storage areas, and improper handling and storage of food articles. Several units lacked mandatory records relating to pest control, employee health, water testing and food safety.

Other violations included food handlers working without hairnets, aprons and gloves, inadequate ventilation and lighting, unclean utensils and storage containers, and food articles stored directly on floors. Some premises also had damaged flooring, stagnant water, cobwebs and inadequate measures to prevent insects and rodents.

At Ramesh Industries in Matewada, Warangal district, officials seized 5,045 kg of improperly labelled food articles worth Rs. 5,41,250. At Kapil Foods in Hanumakonda, four litres of used cooking oil were discarded.

TG SAFE issued show-cause notices to nine other establishments, including Ganga Food Tech and Spices, GPR Foods, Healthy Heart Foods, Varsha Spices, Karani Spices, Mithaiwala, Bell Brand, Swagath Sweets and Marluce Food and Beverages.

Improvement notices will be issued to Laxmi Foods in Thimmapur and Shiva Tara Flour Mill in Warangal for rectifying the deficiencies. Officials will reinspect the units to verify compliance and initiate further action based on their findings.

The Commissioner of TG SAFE said the enforcement action was taken in the interest of public health.

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