The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s food department sealed A.N. Gruh Udyog in Danilimda and halted a 1,000-kg stock of snacks after an inspection found alleged food-safety and hygiene violations at the production unit.
The action was taken during a checking drive at Goodluck Estate’s warehouse number four, where the unit was producing items including masala peanuts, fine sev and farsi puri. The municipal team also halted stocks of maida and other snack products stored at the premises, according to the report by Nav Gujarat Samay – Ahmedabad.
Tejas Shah, the civic body’s in-charge additional health officer, said the inspection found that the unit was operating in unhygienic conditions. Workers were reportedly not wearing hair covers, caps or aprons while preparing the snacks. The department also found the use of non-permitted colour, described in the report as industrial colour, in the food products.
The inspection further found that the same cooking oil was being reused repeatedly. The food department also reported that the packaged products did not carry labelling required under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India rules. The unit was sealed after the team identified what it described as multiple violations of food-safety regulations.
The inspection in Danilimda followed action against another facility in the area on the previous day. Shah said that unit had allegedly been making tomato sauce without tomatoes and was sealed by the municipal department. The two actions indicate that the civic food-safety team is conducting targeted checks on small-scale food-production and storage facilities in the locality.
The municipal department has also issued guidance for consumers and food sellers ahead of Dussehra, when temporary stalls selling fafda and jalebi are commonly set up across Ahmedabad. Consumers have been advised to retain proof of purchase, including bills, dates and packaging, so that complaints can be investigated. Suspected adulteration or unsafe food can be reported to the municipal food department or through the FSSAI Food Safety Connect portal and application.
The civic guidance asks sellers to maintain the quality of oil and ghee and avoid repeated use of frying oil or ghee. Businesses making claims about the use of pure ghee have been told to retain supporting evidence. The department has also instructed sellers not to mix other types of flour into gram flour used for making fafda.
The reported seizure places enforcement at the production stage alongside consumer advisories during a period of increased demand for festive snacks. The municipal food department’s next steps will determine how the seized stock is handled and what action is taken against the sealed unit under applicable food-safety rules.
