Under scanner:Stock of unsafe dry fruits found at a warehouse in Vijayawada on Thursday.
Many catering businesses order the ghee because of cheaper price
The sleuths of the Vigilance and Enforcement and the Food safety standards departments jointly raided four food manufacturing units in the city on Thursday and exposed illegal trade going on uninterrupted for the past several years.
A 10-year-old dry fruits repacking unit in Gandhi Nagar, a seven-year-old ghee adulteration unit in a house at Padavalarevu and another dry fruit and chocolate powder making unit were found grossly violating rules and running businesses illegally.
Vigilance DSP R. Vijay Paul and Assistant food controller N. Purnachandra Rao led the raids. According to Mr. Paul, one Trinadh Rao of Padavalarevu had been running TPR Trades that mainly adulterated the Vijaya Dairy ghee with sunflower oil and supplied to catering businesses on daily orders. “The owner has no permission to sell ghee. He has one for making papads which are also made under unhygienic conditions,” he said.
Bhagyalakshmi Enterprises at Gandhi Nagar owned by one Purnachandra Kumar was found selling all kinds of neatly packed dry fruits that were unsafe for consumption.
“All the stock was rejected for export at Mumbai. The owner procures them, neatly repacks and sells it through his own shop besides distributing to other traders. The dry fruits are full of insects and worms and the unit is unhygienic,” Mr. Paul said.
Later, officials raided Maya Foods that makes packaged snacks like corn puffs, chips and has all permissions.
In another raid on Raj Foods unit near Bhavanipuram highway, the owner was found making almond nuts, powder, chocolate paste and other items in unhygienic conditions. The owner has permission for only petty food trade but had been running a larger unit illegally for the past two and half years, Mr. Paul said. Also, an impermissible amount of food colour and perfumes to preserve the stock was being used. Samples were collected from all the units and criminal cases would be slapped against the owner of the Bhagyalakshmi Enterprises and the TP Trades.
Following the laboratory reports, other owners would be booked.
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