Panaji: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned of action if operators in the food business, especially those engaged in the trade of fruits, are found using chemicals to artificially ripen fruits.
FDA will conduct special drives to check for use of such chemicals, and any vendor found guilty of using or in possession of these chemicals will be booked.
In a statement, FDA also said there were instances where agricultural chemicals like ethapone and etherel were being used to ripen mangoes and bananas artificially, which is a common practice during festivals due to the high demand.
FDA has also informed vendors and traders that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) permits artificial ripening of fruits using ethylene gas at a concentration of up to 100ppm depending on the crop, the variety and maturity, through the use of ethylene gas chambers which are licensed/registered under the Food Saftey and Standard Act 2006.
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