The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has sealed a factory in Behrampura after its Health and Food Department found it producing a tomato sauce substitute for puffs, sandwiches and burgers without using tomatoes, according to Sandesh – Ahmedabad. The unit was allegedly using potato powder, synthetic chemical colour and other ingredients to manufacture the product under the “Tasty Snack Touch Up” brand.
The factory, identified as M J F Food, is located on Pirana-Suez Farm Road in Behrampura. The municipal food team seized the sauce during a raid and sealed the premises. Food Officer Tejas Shah said the unit was operating without a valid licence and manufacturing the product in highly unhygienic conditions.
According to the report, the production process used potato powder instead of tomatoes. Corn flavour, sugar, salt, chemical colour, acetic acid and a stabiliser were also added to prepare the sauce. The report said no tomatoes were used in the manufacturing process.
The pricing raised further concerns for the civic food-safety officials. A kilogram of regular tomato sauce generally sells for about Rs 100 in the market, while the product made at the Behrampura unit was reportedly sold in five-kilogram packaging for Rs 100. The substantial price difference was cited in the report as one feature of the operation.
The sauce was intended for use in commonly consumed items such as puffs, sandwiches and burgers. The action therefore highlights the role of municipal food inspectors in monitoring small food-processing units and products that enter the city’s informal and quick-service food supply chains. The report did not provide details of any arrests, prosecution or laboratory findings related to the seized sauce.
In a separate action mentioned in the report, the AMC Food Department had earlier collected a sample of Ramsans branded domestic ghee from Adarsh Trading Company in Madhupura for laboratory examination. The sample was declared compliant with government standards, following which the seized stock was released.
The Behrampura factory remains sealed following the municipal action. Further legal or administrative steps, including any proceedings connected with the alleged unlicensed production and the seized sauce, were not specified in the supplied report.
