Food Safety Officials Seize Rs 5.99 Lakh Food Haul in Bengaluru Sweet Unit Raids

Food safety officials have seized food products worth an estimated Rs 5.99 lakh during a special inspection drive across sweet-manufacturing units in Bengaluru and other regions of Karnataka.

The Food Safety Division of the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department conducted the drive following directions from Health and Family Welfare Minister UT Khader. Inspections covered manufacturing facilities across Bengaluru City, Bengaluru Rural, and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) areas, as well as Mysuru, Dakshina Kannada, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, and Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation limits.

The inspections were aimed at evaluating hygiene, food safety, and statutory licensing compliance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, along with its associated regulations.

During the drive, officials inspected 16 units and collected samples of sweets, cooking oil, fresh oil, curd, pulses, chickpeas, jalebi, khova, and tea powder for formal laboratory testing.

Inspectors also uncovered a range of expired, misbranded, and non-compliant goods. Seizures included five litres of expired Nandini curd and 19 packets of chocolate decoration materials found with incorrect labelling. Enforcement teams also confiscated 10 kg of chocolate flavour and 5 kg of rasgulla.

Additionally, around 60 kg of banana chips and Chakli Masala were seized because they lacked mandatory labelling details, such as the manufacturer's name, address, and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licence number.

Other items taken into custody included ready-to-eat savouries, cocoa powder, 4.5 kg of cracked cocoa beans, 6 kg of khova, and 196 kg of fennel powder.

Samples collected during the operation have been sent to testing laboratories to determine their quality and verify compliance with established safety standards. Officials stated that further legal proceedings will be initiated under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and relevant rules to protect consumers from unsafe and misbranded products.