Food department detects substandard samples of reputed brands in Noida

NOIDA: In a major operation against adulteration and misbranding of food items, the city food department has lodged cases against 100 manufacturers, retailers and brand owners of 32 food items found "substandard" or violating food safety norms.

Most of the product samples include items like milk, water and noodles collected around three months back from different sites at Noida including consumer retail stores like Shopprix Mall, Sector 61 and Easyday outlets. The cases will now be heard in Additional Magistrate Court, Surajpur.

Milk from as many as three Mother Dairy outlets in the city was found to contain less fat content than required, making it unsuitable for consumption.

"From three booths of Mother Diary, the milk from vending machines was found to be unfit for drinking in Sectors 56, 46 A and 62," Food Safety Officer Shiv Nath Singh told TOI.

Cases have been lodged against the manufacturer Mother Dairy Patparganj, processor Indian Potash Limited, Sikandrabad and the individual booth owners.

Food department officials said that an Amul milk packet has also been found "misbranded" with illegible date of manufacturing and 'best before' from one Praveen dairy in Amritpuram Gamma 1, Greater Noida.

Samples of tastemakers of noodles that have been found "substandard" include a pasta packet of Maggi brand in an Easyday store in Sector 93 and YiPPee! Noodles in Shopprix Mall, Sector 61.

The tastemakers apparently have more than permissible levels of MSG (Monosodium glutamate) content in them.

Around 10 samples of packaged water were found substandard with few containing sediments, suspended and copper content more than the permissible limit of 0.05 ppm.

These were collected from various retailers from Sector 5, 10, 11, etc and Hoshiarpur area.

Interestingly, the department has found a product called "herbal egg", whose packet says that it "helps to be strong and tall, healthy, improve vision, better digestion and is usable for children, pregnant women and elderly persons.

"The packet recovered from an Easyday store in Sector 93 of one Brune Herbal Organic Eggs was found to be selling "Herbal egg" claiming many health benefits. There are no facts to back the claims made by the company on the packet. We have booked the company, the store manager and Bharti Retail Limited for violations under Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006," Shiv Nath Singh said.