H-FAST Seizes 25 Tonnes of Adulterated Spices in Hyderabad; Three Arrested
Hyderabad, Aug. 4 (TNT): The Hyderabad Food Adulteration Surveillance Team (H-FAST), in coordination with the GHMC Food Safety Department, has seized over 25 tonnes of adulterated spices and arrested three persons during a special enforcement drive conducted across the city to curb food adulteration, said Hyderabad City Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar here on Tuesday.
Acting on credible public information, the joint teams inspected 13 spice trading and processing establishments engaged in the procurement, processing and sale of spices.
During the raids, officials detected the use of hazardous chemicals, industrial dyes and other prohibited substances in food products, the Commissioner said in a press conference here.
Police registered three criminal cases—two at Mailardevpally Police Station and one at Balapur Police Station, he said.
The arrested persons were identified as Rahul Bhati of Katedan and Vishal Panwar and Dulichand Kachhawar, both residents of Begum Bazaar, he said.
he said the inspections revealed serious violations of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, including misbranding, improper labelling and the use of dangerous chemicals to improve the appearance, weight and market value of spices.
According to investigators, traders were found using synthetic food colours, fabric dyes, industrial-grade permanent colours, talcum powder (shining powder) and rice bran oil to adulterate products such as ajwain, jeera, shahjeera, cloves, mustard and fennel, he said and adding that in one unit, low-quality and rejected mustard stocks were allegedly mixed with fabric dye, talcum powder and oil to improve their appearance before sale.
During the operation, the Commissioner said the police seized 25,300 kg of adulterated spices, including 7,920 kg of ajwain, 6,700 kg of jeera, 4,960 kg of mustard, 2,350 kg of jeera dust, 2,280 kg of shahjeera, 550 kg of cloves and 540 kg of fennel, besides raw materials such as 13,460 kg of fenugreek seeds, 10,000 kg of sesame seeds, synthetic dyes, talcum powder, rice bran oil and three rolling machines.
Samples of the seized spices and chemical additives have been sent for laboratory analysis.
He said legal action is being initiated against those responsible under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and other applicable laws.
He warned that the use of industrial dyes, synthetic colours and non-edible substances in food could lead to liver and kidney damage, increased cancer risk, gastrointestinal disorders, allergic reactions, skin diseases and long-term damage to the nervous and immune systems.
Highlighting H-FAST’s performance since its launch, Hyderabad Police said the team has conducted 659 raids in the last 140 days, registered 202 FIRs and seized nearly 246 tonnes of adulterated food. Another 232 cases have been referred to GHMC Food Safety authorities for further action.
During this period, the task force also seized over 27 tonnes of adulterated ginger-garlic paste, 12 tonnes of rotten chicken and mutton, 60 tonnes of foul-smelling chicken waste, 25.8 tonnes of chemically ripened fruits, 9.2 tonnes of adulterated pickles, 3.8 tonnes of adulterated tea powder, 1.5 tonnes of synthetic paneer, 2.5 tonnes of adulterated curd, 3.2 tonnes of adulterated cream, ghee and oil, and 23.7 tonnes of sub-standard RO water, besides taking action against several food manufacturing units.
Hyderabad Police appealed to the public to purchase food products only from licensed vendors, avoid brightly coloured or unbranded spices, and report suspected food adulteration through Dial 100 or the H-FAST helpline (8712661212), assuring confidentiality for informants.
The special drive was conducted under the supervision of DCP (Task Force) Gaikwad Vaibhav Raghunath along with Task Force and Food Safety officials.
TNT TS
