The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Health and Food Department sealed two food establishments in Sarkhej and Madhupura after an inspection found that they were operating without FSSAI licences or registrations and had allegedly failed to follow basic hygiene and used-cooking-oil rules, according to a report by Nav Gujarat Samay – Ahmedabad.
The action was taken during a festival-season drive targeting food businesses in the city. The municipal department had earlier acted against stocks of mawa and seized a large quantity of allegedly counterfeit tomato sauce. The latest inspections focused on the quality of oil used for preparing farsan and on sanitation conditions at production premises.
AMC food officials inspected establishments in the western and northern parts of Ahmedabad. The two units identified in the report were Saurashtra Bhajiya and Ganthiya near Ujala Circle in Sarkhej, and Gayatri Chavana Mart opposite Ganj Bazar in Madhupura. The department said both premises showed serious irregularities and negligence during surprise inspections.
According to the report, neither establishment had an FSSAI licence or registration. Workers preparing food were also found without basic protective equipment, including caps, aprons, masks and hand gloves. The inspection report described the production areas as lacking the hygienic conditions required under Schedule 4 of the food safety regulations.
At Saurashtra Bhajiya and Ganthiya, the oil used for frying farsan was tested during the inspection. The report said the total polar compounds, or TPC, in the frying oil were above 25 per cent and described the oil as harmful for consumption. Repeatedly used cooking oil is required to be disposed of through an authorised agency, and the report said the establishment had not entered into such an arrangement.
The municipal department sealed both establishments after the violations were identified. The action places the licensing and operational responsibilities of small food businesses at the centre of the city’s festival-season food safety enforcement, particularly for farsan, sweets and packaged-food producers.
Following the inspections, the AMC Health and Food Department instructed manufacturers of sweets, farsan and packaged food to comply strictly with food safety requirements. The department said businesses must maintain the quality of ingredients, ensure that workers use mandatory protective equipment and arrange disposal of used cooking oil through an authorised agency if they consume more than 50 kilograms of oil a day.
The report did not specify the duration of the sealing orders, penalties imposed on the establishments or the conditions required for reopening. Further action will depend on the municipal department’s enforcement process and compliance assessments.
