Food Safety Violations in Delhi Facilities

Food Safety Violations: Inspections conducted by Delhi's Food Safety Department uncovered multiple violations, including expired products and unhygienic conditions at the facilities of quick-commerce and retail companies.

Sample Testing:

• 59 samples of various desi ghee brands tested revealed that 19 were "unsafe" for human consumption.
• An additional four brands failed to meet established food safety standards.

Specific Findings:

• Swiggy Instamart: Found expired frozen green peas, Greek yoghurt, eggless chocolate-chip brownies, and cow ghee. Some products did not have expiry dates.
• Reliance Retail Limited: Located in Wazirpur Industrial Area, findings included pests such as flies, mosquitoes, a lizard, and spider webs.
• Zomato Hyperpure: Inspection revealed expired products and unhygienic conditions.
• Zepto Limited: Inspected in Jheel Khureja, noted failures in maintaining cold-storage temperature along with cockroaches and spider webs.

Government Response:

• Chief Minister Rekha Gupta emphasized that compromising food quality and public health through adulteration is unacceptable.
• Direction issued for heightened monitoring of markets and food establishments supplying food products online.
• Actions mandated according to legal rules for breaches of food safety standards.

Specific Brands Affected:

• Unsafe ghee brands included: Haryana Lite, Haryana Supreme, Haryana Dairy, Shree Haryana King, Shree Haryana Foods, Kartar, Madhu Sangam, and others.
• Substandard brands listed: Nova, Govardhan Pure Cow Ghee, and Pratap Desi Ghee.

Licensing Actions:

• Orders to shut down establishments selling unsafe ghee.
• Suspension of licenses for non-compliance with food safety regulations.

Government Objectives:

• Ensure all families in Delhi have access to safe and quality food.
• Focus on protecting public health and ensuring accountability in food trade.

Legal Framework: The actions described align with the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, which regulates the production, storage, distribution, sale, and import of food to ensure safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

Public Health Priority: Ensuring the health and safety of residents remains a crucial priority for the Delhi government, as highlighted by the Chief Minister's office.