Noida's Food Safety Drive: 35 Firms Served Notices, 6425 Kgs Of Items Seized In Pre-Diwali Crackdown

Noida Food Safety and Drug Administration, in its month-long pre-Diwali crackdown, seized 6,425 kg of food items worth Rs 70.83 lakh and destroyed around 1,025 kg of spoiled products. According to the district administration, officials have conducted lab tests on almost 129 samples that were collected during the inspections between October 9 and November 5. Notices were issued to at least 35 establishments. The licences and registrations of four firms were suspended for irregularities.

Assistant Commissioner Sarvesh Mishra said, "A total of 6,425 kg of food items, valued at approximately Rs 70,83,900, was seized on suspicion of adulteration, misbranding and violations of food safety regulations."

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1,025 Kg Of Food Items Destroyed

He also pointed to the spoiled sweets, khoya, among other food items, weighing around 1,025 kg and worth Rs 2,96,500, which were destroyed. These items were initially found to be not fit for consumption due to suspected adulteration or bad storage and manufacturing conditions.

District officials have ramped up food safety checks across the area with the festive season just around the corner. On the district magistrate’s orders, teams inspected several spots to stop the sale of contaminated or poor-quality food and make sure people can buy items that are actually safe to eat.

Inspectors visited food outlets, production units, warehouses and shops. They also looked at how products were being transported and stored, watching for any violations.

According to Mishra, traders and manufacturers have been told to buy only from authorised suppliers. They are also expected to keep proper purchase records and check basic details like manufacturing dates and batch numbers before putting anything on the shelves. Mishra said the department will keep up the pressure in the coming days and warned that any business that fails to meet food safety standards could face action.

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Maharashtra FDA Crackdown

Not only in Noida, but crackdowns have also been conducted in Maharashtra by the FDA department. The administration conducted a two-day drive between November 4 and 5 and seized nearly 39,500 kg of food products worth Rs 1.35 crore from over 69 establishments. Licences of almost 105 firms have been suspended, including those of Blinkit and Zepto.

The inspections highlighted various problems, from poor hygiene to bad storage and sloppy manufacturing practices. FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe asserted that the department will keep cracking down on anyone breaking food safety norms.