If you also order goods from Blinkit then be careful, expired goods found in stock

Uttarakhand Food Safety and Drug Administration is continuously conducting raids to ensure the purity of food items used prominently in fasting during Navratri festival. The state-wide campaign of FDA continued on Ashtami day on Saturday. During this, the team found expired goods in stock from two stores of Blinkit.

Intensive investigation of materials used in Navratri is being done

Health Secretary and Commissioner FDA Dr. R Rajesh Kumar said that on the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Health Minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat, an intensive investigation campaign is being conducted across the state for food items used in fasting including buckwheat flour, sago, rock salt, milk, cheese.

The teams of the department inspected more than 94 food establishments across the state. During this, 13 samples were collected for investigation. Along with this, 50 kg of suspicious buckwheat flour was also destroyed in Dehradun. The aim of the campaign is to protect consumers from adulterated or unsafe food items during Navratri. The campaign is being closely monitored from the government level.

50 kg flour destroyed

Commissioner Dr. R Rajesh Kumar said that all the teams are engaged in the campaign with full alertness. Apart from Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar, special vigilance is being taken on the Chardham Yatra route. Additional teams along with mobile vans have been deployed for investigation. Along with this, special enforcement campaigns are also being run continuously by the teams in all other hill districts. Under the campaign, the purity of suitable food items during fasting, especially buckwheat flour, is being checked.

On April 5, 21 establishments were inspected in Dehradun, in which 50 kg of suspicious buckwheat flour was seized and destroyed from an establishment located on Kanwali Road. On the same day, samples of a total of 13 food items including buckwheat flour have been collected for investigation from various districts of the state. The action is being reviewed daily at the government level. Strict instructions have been given to the officials that any kind of negligence will not be tolerated in the campaign.

No sale of loose flour found in Kumaon districts

Dr R Rajesh Kumar said that a special investigation campaign was conducted in Pithoragarh, Champawat, Bageshwar, Almora, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts under Kumaon division. During inspection, it was found that loose buckwheat flour was not being sold anywhere, more than 84 establishments were inspected and 10 food samples were sent to the State Food and Drug Laboratory in Haldwani for testing.

Dr R Rajesh Kumar said that the entire campaign is being reviewed at the divisional level. Action is going on in all the districts. Dr R Rajesh Kumar said that the Food Safety Department sent 2 samples from Dehradun, 1 from Haridwar, milk and cheese from Nainital, gram flour from Almora, refined flour and gram flour from Pithoragarh, sago from Udham Singh Nagar, and rock salt and sago from Champawat to the laboratory for analysis. All the districts have been instructed to send the investigation report soon.

Direct violation of food safety standards in Blinkit

After receiving a complaint of supply of expired material through online food supply platform Blinkit, a major action was taken by Food Safety and Drug Administration Dehradun. The FDA team raided two stores of Blinkit under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner Garhwal Division R.S. Rawat and District Designated Officer Dehradun Manish Sayana.

During the inspection, chips packets and expired bread were found in stock in both the stores without manufacturing or expiry date. This is a direct violation of food safety standards. A notice has been issued to both the stores on the spot and a reply has been sought. The department has clarified that legal action will be taken against both the stores on the basis of the reply received.