Panaji: The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on Friday confiscated 1.5 tonnes of artificially ripened Alphonso mangoes worth Rs 32,000 from the godown of one Habib Narangi, near the flyover bridge, at Margao.
After conducting a spot test, it was established that the plant growth regulator, Ethpon, was used to artificially ripen the mangoes. The seized stock was subsequently transported to the garbage dump at Sonsoddo, where it was destroyed.
The enforcement team also conducted inspections at 35 other premises where mangoes, papayas and bananas were being sold. The sites checked were located in the SGPDA market, near Minaxi Hotel and Cine Lata in Malbhat, and in the vicinity of the Rajagiri Victor Hospital. However, no artificial ripening activity was detected.
The team further confiscated gutka worth Rs 8,000, and foreign cigarettes worth Rs 4,000 that did not bear the mandatory pictorial warnings on their packs, from gaddas (kiosks) located in Margao.
The FDA team comprised food safety officers Abel Rodrigues and Amit Naik, assistant chemist Punalik Gawade, and support staff Pradip Parsekar, Sainath Mandrekar and Arjun Naik.
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