Patna: Intensifying its crackdown on food safety violations ahead of Diwali, the health department’s food safety wing seized 1,270kg of dates worth Rs 6.35 lakh and destroyed over 2,100kg of sweets and other food items worth Rs 13.29 lakh during inspections across the city on Thursday.Food safety teams have been conducting frequent raids across Patna to check the sale and storage of substandard food products and enforce hygiene standards ahead of the festive season.During a raid at Shalimar Cold Storage on the New Bypass in Anisabad, officials seized 1,270kg of dates after finding that the packets did not carry packing dates. A sample was collected for laboratory testing. The team also found poor sanitation and vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items stored together. Officials recommended considering suspension of the facility’s food licence. During the inspection, 1,440kg of sweets, 600kg of dried figs and 100kg of curd were destroyed.In Kurji, operations at Jai Mata Di Sweet Shop were stopped after it was found functioning without a valid FSSAI licence. Officials destroyed 4kg of noodles and 3kg of soy sauce and collected a sample of batisa sweets for testing.At New Kurji Restaurant near Kurji Mor, inspectors found poor kitchen hygiene, drainage and storage arrangements. The restaurant’s owner was asked to close the kitchen for two days for cleaning and corrective measures. The team also destroyed 22 litres of food items, including used cooking oil and sauces, and collected a sample of gond laddoo.An improvement notice was issued to The Soda Fountain near Gandhi Maidan for failing to produce employees’ medical examination and water testing reports. A sample of chhena sweets was also collected for laboratory analysis.Officials said inspections would continue in the run-up to Diwali to ensure food quality and consumer safety.
