Officials of the Food Safety Department raided shops at the Nunna mango market on Monday and collected 14 samples of mangoes and one sample of chemical imported from China and Italy.
In all, eight teams of the department raided shops and stocks of mangoes in the market in a bid to prevent artificial ripening of fruits mostly done during the summer season.
Assistant Food Controller (ASF-Zone II) R. Nageswaraiah said that four boxes of Ethiopian Plant Hormone Solution, ethylene power and hand sprayers used to sprinkle the solution on fruit were seized along with 50 cases of mangoes. Each case contained 25 kg of fruit.
“We have found the solution in the living rooms of workers in the market and it is evident that Ethiopian solution is being used. We have also seized packets of ethylene powder imported from China,” Mr. Nageswaraiah said. The seized samples have been sent to the State Food Laboratory located at Nacharam in Hyderabad for tests and, basing on the results, action would be taken against the vendors. The raids were conducted following the directions of Food Safety Commissioner K.V. Satyanarayana. In all, 15 cases have been registered. The chemicals are being used for ripening bananas and mangoes, which are harmful to health,” said Mr. Nageswaraiah.
Officials, led by ASF Zone-III N. Purnachander Rao, conducted raids on Vijaya Lakshmi Dall Mill and Kubera Dall Mill located on Burripalem Road in Guntur district on Monday. They found that the traders were using soap stone powder for polishing black gram.
“We seized 220 bags of soap stone powder and 100 bags of de-husked black gram rounds from the two mills,” said Mr. Rao.
Packets of ethylene powder imported from China have been seized, says official
