Patna food safety raids ahead of Diwali have led to the seizure of 1,270kg of dates and the destruction of more than 2,100kg of sweets and other food items valued at a combined Rs 19.64 lakh, as officials acted against hygiene and licensing violations across the city on Thursday.
The health department’s food safety wing has been conducting inspections across Patna to check the sale and storage of substandard food products and enforce hygiene standards before the festive season. Officials collected samples from several establishments for laboratory testing and said inspections would continue in the run-up to Diwali.
During a raid at Shalimar Cold Storage on the New Bypass in Anisabad, inspectors seized 1,270kg of dates worth Rs 6.35 lakh after finding that the packets did not carry packing dates. A sample was collected for analysis. The team also reported poor sanitation and found vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items stored together.
The inspection team recommended that authorities consider suspending the facility’s food licence. During the same operation, officials destroyed 1,440kg of sweets, 600kg of dried figs and 100kg of curd, with the destroyed items valued at Rs 13.29 lakh, according to the report.
In Kurji, officials stopped operations at Jai Mata Di Sweet Shop after finding that it was functioning without a valid Food Safety and Standards Authority of India licence. The team destroyed 4kg of noodles and 3kg of soy sauce and collected a sample of batisa sweets for testing.
Inspectors also found poor kitchen hygiene, drainage and storage arrangements at New Kurji Restaurant near Kurji Mor. The owner was directed to keep the kitchen closed for two days to carry out cleaning and corrective measures. Officials destroyed 22 litres of food items, including used cooking oil and sauces, and collected a sample of gond laddoo.
At The Soda Fountain near Gandhi Maidan, the food safety team issued an improvement notice after the establishment failed to produce employees’ medical examination reports and water testing records. A sample of chhena sweets was also collected for laboratory analysis.
The inspections highlight the range of controls required in the city’s food supply chain during the festive period, from packaging and storage records to kitchen sanitation, water testing and licensing. The food safety wing’s action also places laboratory results and follow-up enforcement at the centre of the cases involving seized and sampled products.
Officials said inspections would continue across Patna before Diwali to monitor food quality, hygiene compliance and consumer safety.
