Continuing their crackdown on food safety violations, the Hyderabad Food Adulteration Surveillance Team (H-FAST) collaborated with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Food Safety officers to apprehend six individuals from various food establishments. The joint enforcement drive aimed to tackle food adulteration and ensure adherence to food safety laws in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts.
During the inspections, which targeted food manufacturing units, an ice cream unit, ‘murukulu’ manufacturing units, a bakery, and a retail food establishment, authorities discovered multiple infractions. These included unhygienic food handling, the use of recycled cooking oil and artificial food colors, the sale of expired and misbranded products, lack of valid FSSAI licenses, improper labeling, sanitation issues, pest infestation, inadequate record-keeping, and improper storage practices.
H-FAST disclosed that confiscated items such as reused cooking oil, artificial food colors, and other unsafe food products were seized, while samples were collected for laboratory testing. Violation notices were issued to Food Business Operators, instructing them to rectify the breaches and comply with food safety standards as prescribed.
Led by Inspectors of Police Sri N. Ranjith Kumar Goud and Sri M. Anjaiah of H-FAST, the special enforcement drive also involved personnel from GHMC Food Safety. The Hyderabad City Police urged the public to patronize licensed and hygienic food establishments, verify FSSAI licenses and expiry dates before purchase, and report any instances of food adulteration or unhygienic practices to the H-FAST Toll-Free Number 8712661212 for swift action.
In a separate operation on July 17, H-FAST targeted two fast-food centers in the Chandrayangutta area, seizing reused cooking oil, fried and raw colored chicken, and artificial food colors.
