FSSAI licence suspension has been ordered for West Bengal-based Kailash Formulation and Sanecure Water Project after inspections found serious hygiene, sanitation, pest-control and documentation violations, the food safety regulator said on Sunday.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India said enforcement drives in South 24 Parganas led to the suspension of both licences. Sanecure Water Project, a packaged drinking water company, has been barred from carrying out all food business activities covered by its licence until further orders.
The regulator said inspectors found poor hygiene and sanitation, inadequate pest-proofing and significant pest infestation at the Sanecure facility. The inspection also identified inadequate hand-washing and washroom facilities, a lack of preventive maintenance for equipment and machinery, and rust or corrosion on equipment.
FSSAI said the company also had major documentation and compliance gaps. These included the absence of a pest-control agreement, food-handler medical and inoculation records, control-sample records, customer complaint and corrective-action records, and vehicle hygiene checklists.
The inspection further found that potable water testing reports and certificates of analysis for raw materials and chemicals were unavailable. Approved-vendor documentation was also missing, while a copy of the water-test laboratory record was found to have been digitally edited or altered, according to the regulator.
FSSAI said the licence suspension was imposed in the interest of public health. The action covers all food business activities for which Sanecure Water Project had been granted a licence and will remain in force until further orders.
At Kailash Formulation, the regulator found that overall hygiene and sanitation at the premises were unsatisfactory. Required laboratory test reports were missing, and inspectors also recorded non-compliance involving packaging and raw materials.
The regulator’s announcement follows separate enforcement action earlier in the week against CG Foods, known for the Wai Wai brand, at its manufacturing unit in Ajmer, Rajasthan. FSSAI directed the company to discontinue production of its Veg Bhujia Namkeen product without the required approvals and measures.
During the Ajmer inspection, officials said the company was reprocessing floor-collected broken noodles into bhujia products without heat treatment and using pre-dated packaging dates. About 32,017.2 kg of stock, including loose broken noodles, was seized at the site, while 1,925 boxes of expired finished goods were detained.
FSSAI also reported severe hygiene and documentation deficiencies, including inadequate pest control, at the CG Foods facility. It said further regulatory action would be based on laboratory analysis of samples.
