Ahmedabad: What’s tomato sauce without tomatoes? Apparently, a mix of potatoes, starch, synthetic colours and preservatives. That is what civic officials allegedly found at a food unit in the Gota area. The unit was sealed and more than 10,000kg of stock was seized.Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s health and food department raided Shed No. 43/A at Meldi Estate on Saturday and sealed the premises of I Shree Khodiyar Gruh Udyog.Officials seized around 10,630kg of finished products and raw materials worth nearly Rs 4.20 lakh. The unit was manufacturing products such as ‘R K Fruit Cordial’ and ‘Fruit Squash’.During the inspection, officials allegedly found that the unit was preparing a product resembling tomato sauce without using tomatoes. The reported recipe included water, sugar, starch powder, potatoes, salt, food colours, acetic acid, preservatives and stabilisers.“The food product prepared this way visually resembled tomato sauce, but tomatoes were not used at any stage of its production. The product’s appearance could mislead consumers about what it actually contained,” said a senior health department official. The labels found at the unit listed ingredients including water, fruit pulp, sugar, chilli powder, stabiliser E1422, salt, acidity regulator E330, spice extracts, preservatives and synthetic food colours E122 and E110. However, the operator allegedly failed to produce bills to verify the purchase and use of the ingredients mentioned on the labels.Officials collected five samples— starch powder, synthetic food colour, potato paste, the product presented as tomato paste, and fruit squash—have been collected and sent them for laboratory analysis.Until the test results are received, the seized stock cannot be sold or distributed, officials said. The civic body added that legal action would depend on the laboratory findings and the outcome of the further investigation.The department has alleged possible misbranding and misleading labelling. If these charges are established, the products could attract action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020.AMC said the unit’s FSSAI licence could also be cancelled after due notice and an opportunity for the operator to respond.
