Gujarat: Four paneer samples fail quality tests in Rajkot; civic body destroys 269 kg of stale food

Rajkot: Four samples of loose paneer collected from different establishments in Rajkot district have been declared substandard after laboratory analysis found deviations from prescribed food safety standards, while the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) destroyed 269 kg of stale, expired and inedible food products during a special inspection drive ahead of Diwali.

According to officials, the Food Department's surveillance checks found that the four paneer samples had failed to meet the prescribed standards. In one sample, collected from Fortune Milk & Food Products in Lati Plot, the quantity of foreign fat exceeded permissible limits.

A sample collected from Shri Gayatri Dairy Farm on Punitnagar Main Road was found to have milk fat content below the prescribed standard.

Two other samples, collected from Prakashbhai Pravinbhai Harsoda near Satellite Chowk on Morbi Road and Bhagwati Trading at Vijay Plot-11 on Gondal Road, had lower-than-prescribed milk fat content, while their moisture content and foreign fat levels exceeded the standards.

The civic body said adjudication proceedings would be initiated against the establishments concerned.

Separately, as part of a special drive against food adulteration and unhygienic conditions during the Diwali festival, the Food Department inspected 62 establishments across the city.

During the inspections, 269 kg of stale, expired, leftover and otherwise inedible food items were destroyed.

Two establishments were issued notices concerning storage practices, licensing and hygienic conditions, while administrative charges totalling Rs 11,000 were collected.

The largest quantity of discarded food was found at Chamunda Farsan in Sitaram Nagar, under the Morbi Road bridge. Officials destroyed approximately 251 kg of material, including 21 kg of washing soda used in the preparation of farsan, 180 kg of stale spicy papdi, 30 kg of spicy sev and 20 kg of spicy boondi.

The establishment was issued a notice over storage under unhygienic conditions and licensing violations, and a penalty of Rs 5,000 was collected. At The Hamper Store on Satya Sai Road, officials destroyed expired chocolate moulds, approximately 9 kg of chocolates made using them and around 18 kg of dark chocolate.

A notice was issued over licensing, and an administrative charge of Rs 2,000 was collected. At Avadh Dairy Farm on Mavdi Main Road, a notice was issued regarding hygienic conditions, and a sample of loose mixed milk was collected.

The department also collected four samples of farsan — loose sev, spicy papdi, spicy gathiya and poha chivda — from Chamunda Farsan, along with the loose mixed milk sample from Avadh Dairy Farm. All five samples were sent to a laboratory for analysis under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The inspection drive covered food outlets, restaurants, dairy farms, provision stores, farsan shops, bakeries, medicine stores and other establishments across areas including Pragati Complex, Rajnagar Chowk, Mayani Nagar Road, Ambika Township and Nana Mava Road.

Several establishments were also instructed to comply with food licensing requirements. These included Shivam Medicines, Pratik Medicines, Shri Ganesh Dairy Farm, Sumit Provision Store, Chitra Provision Stores and Satnam General Stores at Pragati Complex, as well as Krishna Trading in Jivraj Park.

Administrative charges of Rs 500 each were collected from the first six establishments, while Krishna Trading was charged Rs 1,000.

The RMC said the inspections were part of its efforts to check food adulteration and ensure hygiene at food establishments during the festive season.

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