Stepping up the drive against sale of preservation salt as iodised edible salt, the District Food Safety wing of the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department has seized ten tonnes of preservation salt, packed for sale as iodised edible salt.
Couple of days after seizing two tonnes of fake salt, the food safety officials, led by Designated Officer M. Jagadish Chandra Bose, made a surprise visit to a salt pan near Sitharkottai on Thursday and seized the huge quantity of salt packed and kept ready for transportation.
The salt, packed in fake plastic bags and claiming that the iodine level was 30 parts per million when packed was found kept ready for transportation near the salt pan by one Kannan of Pullangudi, Mr. Bose said.
The packets had pictorial display as if it was edible salt, he said.
There was, however, no manufacturing and expiry dates in the packets, he said adding the mandatory batch and lot numbers were also missing in the packs. The warning that it was “for preservation only” was written in small fontand would go unnoticed by the consumers, he said.
The salt in crystal form was priced at Rs. 10 per kg and the packets were meant for distribution to retail shops in the district and neighbouring districts, Mr. Bose said.
Seasonal pans
After many salt pans in Tuticorin district remained submerged in water due to recent rains, there were attempts to sell salt produced in the district for preservation purpose as edible salt, he said. There were more than 200 seasonal salt pans in the district, he added.
Samples drawn from the lot have been sent to the Food laboratory at Palayamkottai for tests, he said adding further action would be taken after obtaining the results. He was accompanied by food safety officers Chellapandi, Karnan and Thangasivam in the raid.
Couple of days after seizing two tonnes of fake salt, the food safety officials, led by Designated Officer M. Jagadish Chandra Bose, made a surprise visit to a salt pan near Sitharkottai on Thursday and seized the huge quantity of salt packed and kept ready for transportation.
The salt, packed in fake plastic bags and claiming that the iodine level was 30 parts per million when packed was found kept ready for transportation near the salt pan by one Kannan of Pullangudi, Mr. Bose said.
The packets had pictorial display as if it was edible salt, he said.
There was, however, no manufacturing and expiry dates in the packets, he said adding the mandatory batch and lot numbers were also missing in the packs. The warning that it was “for preservation only” was written in small fontand would go unnoticed by the consumers, he said.
The salt in crystal form was priced at Rs. 10 per kg and the packets were meant for distribution to retail shops in the district and neighbouring districts, Mr. Bose said.
Seasonal pans
After many salt pans in Tuticorin district remained submerged in water due to recent rains, there were attempts to sell salt produced in the district for preservation purpose as edible salt, he said. There were more than 200 seasonal salt pans in the district, he added.
Samples drawn from the lot have been sent to the Food laboratory at Palayamkottai for tests, he said adding further action would be taken after obtaining the results. He was accompanied by food safety officers Chellapandi, Karnan and Thangasivam in the raid.
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