FDA crackdown on adulteration continues

BHOPAL: Though it was a holiday due to Janmshtami festival on Friday, food safety teams were extra alert as consumption of milk and milk products goes up on such occasions. Teams of food and drug administration (FDA) collected six samples of milk and milk products from six places in Kolar, Ashoka Garden and MP Nagar. Samples were collected from dairies and shops from where samples were taken earlier also and they failed the test of purity.
District collector Tarun Pithore has directed food safety officials to revisit all the dairies and shops selling milk and milk products where samples were taken earlier, which were found substandard or adulterated.

Following this, the food and drug administration department is preparing a list of dairies and merchants from where samples were taken twice or more have failed in the past or those who have been held guilty under Food Safety Act on several occasions. If the sample collected now from their dairy or shop fails the lab test on purity, an FIR would be lodged against them and stringent action initiated against them.
Meanwhile, the two mawa traders, who were sentenced to jail by the district collector under provisions of National Security Act (NSA) on Thursday, were absconding. Lochan Singh of Gwalior and his sale agent at Bhopal Mushtaq Ali were sentenced to jail under NSA after samples taken from their shops failed the test 10 times since 2006.
They were fined under provisions of Food Safety Act as much as Rs 4.85 lakh during this period. However, Gunga police, where FIR against them was registered, has not been able to trace them. While Lochan Singh has to be lodged at Bhopal Central jail, Mushtaq Ali will be lodged at Rewa Central jail once they are arrested. Action against the two is a clear signal that district administration has decided to go tough on such habitual offenders, said food safety officer, Bhopal, D K Verma.