Udupi: Surprise raids conducted by officials on Thursday at banana storage shops in and around Alevoor revealed the alleged use of chemicals for artificial ripening and colouring of bananas.The simultaneous raids were carried out by assistant commissioner Rashmi SR and officials from the health department. Rashmi said that three special teams raided three locations from 7am.“Banana stocks were found at all three locations. Coloured substances, spray bottles with holes made in them for spraying, and bucket-like containers containing mixed colour were also found. We seized around 10,890 kg of bananas from the three locations,” the assistant commissioner said. She added that officials were following the prescribed legal procedure with regard to the seized bananas.The teams also took custody of vehicles loaded with bananas from the locations. The vehicles were not seized but were taken into custody as part of the procedure, she said.Rashmi noted that the establishments did not have food licences or copies of the required documents.“Trade licences are mandatory for carrying out sales, but none of the establishments had the necessary documents. A message needs to be conveyed to the public about food safety. People consume bananas believing them to be safe, but the use of chemicals for colouring and artificial ripening can affect consumers’ health,” she said.She cautioned the public against purchasing bananas that appear excessively coloured, unnaturally ripened or otherwise suspicious. The use of hazardous chemicals to ripen fruits can pose serious health risks to consumers, she said. “Strict action will continue to be taken against those who violate food safety regulations in the coming days,” Rashmi said.Health and family welfare minister UT Khader said a sudden raid was conducted on shops in the Alevoor, Kemthur, and Duglipadavu villages of Udupi that were allegedly artificially ripening bananas using chemicals. The chemically treated bananas were seized and destroyed in a dumping yard. A total of 10,890 kg of bananas, with an estimated value of Rs 8,71,200, were destroyed.
