Chemical ripening: Repeat offenders to lose trade licence
Following yet another pre-dawn crackdown during which a team of officials from the Tamil Nadu Food Safety department seized 10.5 tonnes of mangoes that were chemically ripened, the authorities have decided to cancel the licences of traders who continued to indulge in the practice despite facing action multiple times.
By : migrator
Update: 2018-06-22 18:35 GMT
Chennai
Acting on a tip-off, a team consisting 22 food safety officers landed at the Koyambedu fruit market around 3 am on Friday and conducted a raid at 60 fruit shops in the market complex.
After the raid that lasted till 8 am, the team seized 10.5 tonnes of mangoes worth Rs 7.5 lakh that were ripened using banned chemicals like calcium carbide stone and ethylene powder.
“We have also seized five ethylene sachets,” said A Sathasivam, a food safety officer, adding that they disposed the chemically-ripened mangoes at the Koyambedu bio-methanation plant.
The traders were continuing to ripen the fruit using banned chemicals despite being warned of action, Sathasivam said, adding that the traders who sold such mangoes would be booked under Food Safety Act 2006.
S Rajendran, the Chief Administrative Officer of Koyambedu market said the officials have been closely monitoring the traders and warning them not to use any kind of banned chemicals. “Henceforth, we will seal their shops,” he said.
V R Soundararajan, a member of the Market Management Committee, said, “We have been placing this issue during every meeting and demand the officials to take stern action against traders indulging in such practices.”
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