MEERUT: The Food and Safety Drugs Administration (FSDA) raided a grocery shop in Lisari Gate's Ahmed Nagar Colony late on Monday evening and seized 'expired' food items weighing as much as 2.5 quintals, following a tip off from a local resident. The edibles past their use by date included biscuits, flour, spices and condiments, rice and dalia.
A case under section 27(3)(a) of The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 was filed against the owners of the shop on Tuesday. If they are found guilty, the accused will have to pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh.
"A local resident informed us about this grocery shop, following which we sent a team to the spot. But I guess, the shopkeepers got to know about our move well in advance and hid the expired items being sold. It was after a raid that the stock was located," said J P Singh, chief food safety officer.
"The sellers mainly targeted poor and illiterate people who hardly check the expiry date of the items before purchasing them," Singh also said.
The accused, Sajid and Saeed, residents of Lisari Gate, and Islamuddin, a resident of Ajrara village have confessed to purchasing expired food items from Delhi at prices lower than market rates and selling them to poor people in Meerut.
Meanwhile, notices are being sent to the manufacturers of the expired edibles - most of which are based in south India, Singh also informed.
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