A team of officials headed by the Designated Food Safety Officer B. Vijayalalithambigai had seized nearly 500 kg of artificially ripened mango from a godown inside a wholesale shop in Selvapuram area in Ukkadam early on Friday.
Ms. Vijayalalithambigai told The Hindu that they had conducted raids in 16 shops and godowns as part of routine exercise. During the raid, the officials found a godown inside a fruit shop where mangoes are ripened using calcium carbide.
The mangoes were later destroyed.
This was the first seizure of mangoes during the current season, as the fruit is yet to reach the markets from growers. Normally, harvested mangoes reach the Coimbatore market from godowns in Mettupalayam every day.
The godown owner was served with a show-cause notice under section 63 of the FSSAI rules. The godown owner, however, said that a person who had put up a shop outside the godown should be held responsible.
Those who found violating the FSSAI rules can be fined up to ₹ 1 lakh and imprisonment for six months.
The authorities last month had seized nearly 2 tonnes of artificially ripened oranges.
