NT Reporter
Mapusa/Margao
The Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) seized and destroyed over 900 kg of food items during a statewide festive-season crackdown, with inspections in Bardez, Mar-gao, Quepem and Dharbandora uncovering food safety, hygiene and labelling violations.
In Bardez, FDA officials on Friday conducted a surveillance drive across the taluka, inspect-ing six food businesses, including sweet and farsan manufacturing units. Two establishments were found operating in unhygienic conditions.
Officials directed the two establishments to suspend operations and seized 320 kg of farsan worth Rs 64,000 and 185 kg of mawa worth Rs 37,000. The mawa was found stored without proper refrigeration, while food products were prepared and stored under unhygienic conditions. The seized items were subsequently destroyed.
In South Goa, the FDA destroyed around 430 kg of food articles valued at Rs 85,880 after finding violations of food safety and labelling requirements during inspections in Margao and Quepem.
At the KTC Bus Stand in Margao on Thursday, officials found around 23 kg of pickle, stone chocolate, hing goli, paan and sweet amla worth Rs 8,000 without mandatory label declarations. Another 30 kg of snacks, including potato chips worth Rs 9,000, lacked proper manu-facturing and use-by dates and the required FSSAI licence number.
Officials also intercepted an interstate bus carrying around 200 kg of ice cubes worth Rs 12,000 from Pune. The product was manufactured in Pune but carried the FSSAI licence number of a Goa manufacturing unit.
At a manufacturing unit in Sirvoi, Quepem, around 150 kg of kalakand worth Rs 45,000 was found without proper labelling, batch number and use-by date, and with added green colour. At another unit in Xeldem, around 27 kg of mawa worth Rs 11,880 lacked mandatory label declarations and an FSSAI licence number and contained added colour.
The FDA also collected 15 samples of sweets during inspections in Dharbandora for further examination.
