The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s food department has sealed two farsan and snack-making units before Diwali after finding that they were operating without FSSAI licences or registrations and violating hygiene requirements. At one unit, cooking oil used for frying was found to have total polar compounds (TPC) above 25%, according to a report by Gujarat Samachar – Ahmedabad.
The action was taken against Saurashtra Bhajiya and Gathiya near Ujala Circle in Sarkhej and Gayatri Chavana Mart opposite Ganj Bazar in Madhupura. The inspections form part of the corporation’s pre-Diwali campaign covering food production, storage and sales across Ahmedabad.
Officials found that both establishments lacked the required FSSAI licence or registration. Workers at the units were also not using basic protective equipment, including caps, aprons, masks and hand gloves. The food department further reported that hygiene and health requirements for food-handling premises were not being followed.
At the Sarkhej unit, the oil used for frying farsan recorded TPC levels above 25%. Total polar compounds are used as an indicator of deterioration in repeatedly heated cooking oil. The inspection also found that the unit had not entered into an agreement with an authorised agency for the appropriate disposal of used cooking oil.
The Madhupura unit was found to be producing chavana without an FSSAI licence or registration. The corporation said workers there were not using the required protective equipment and that the unit did not comply with hygiene and sanitary conditions prescribed under Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards regulations.
The action highlights the responsibilities of small and medium food businesses operating in dense urban markets, where production, storage and retail activity often take place within the same premises. Licensing, worker hygiene, cooking-oil management and packaging controls are part of the compliance chain that determines how food reaches consumers during high-demand periods such as Diwali.
The corporation’s health and food department has asked sweet shops, farsan manufacturers, packaged-food producers and other food businesses to maintain clean production and storage areas, ensure the quality of ingredients and require workers to use caps, aprons, masks and gloves. Businesses have also been instructed to follow prevailing packaging and labelling rules for packaged food.
Units consuming more than 50 kilograms of edible oil a day must enter into an agreement with an authorised agency for the disposal of used oil and implement that arrangement, the department said. Inspections of food businesses across Ahmedabad will continue during the Diwali period. The department said violations of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and related rules could lead to penalties and sealing action.
