Kanpur: The Food Safety and Drug Administration launched a major crackdown onmanufacturers of pickles and sauces in the city and sealed four units foundviolating food safety norms during raids conducted on Tuesday.A departmental team raided a well-known pickle manufacturing unit in theJhakarkati area and found pickles being prepared in unhygienic conditionsusing rotten raw materials in violation of food safety standards. Officialsdiscovered heaps of rotten mangoes, lemons, carrots, cauliflowers andother vegetables lying in foul-smelling surroundings while food productswere being manufactured.The team destroyed around 3,000 kg of rotten raw material worthapproximately Rs 2.40 lakh on the spot and seized prepared pickles valuedat nearly Rs 4 lakh. Five samples of the products were also collected forlaboratory examination.Another team raided Saroj Narayan Enterprises and collected six samples ofgreen chilli sauce, snack sauce and soya sauce. Officials seized 200 litresof green chilli sauce worth Rs 20,000 and 100 litres of snack sauce worthRs 12,000 as the packaging lacked mandatory details such as packing date,best-before date and ingredients. The seized stock was handed over to themanufacturer under custody. A third team inspected Spark Home Products where sauces were allegedly being manufactured under unhygienic conditions with the use of artificialcolours. The unit was found operating without a valid licence from thedepartment. Officials seized 300 litres of chilli sauce, 200 litres oftomato sauce and 100 litres of soya sauce. Additionally, 380 litres of sauce found unfit for consumption was destroyed.The team later raided GSS Enterprises and found the unit functioningwithout obtaining the mandatory licence while food products were beingprepared in unhygienic conditions.
