During the ongoing winter session of Parliament, the Central government stated that 8.3% of the edible item samples examined in Gujarat this year did not meet food safety regulations. 360 of the 4,316 food samples analysed in the state failed safety tests between April and September of this year.
During the food safety fortnight drive in Gujarat before the holiday season, the state Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) confiscated around 2.26 lakh kilogrammes of suspected contaminated consumable goods valued at Rs 6.32 crore. This year, the campaign ran throughout the state from October 3 to October 17.
One hundred fifteen raids across all regions gathered 8,246 samples. Sweets, edible oil, ghee, cereals, spices, dry fruits and other food items were confiscated on suspicion of impurity.
The Union government informed the House that 824, 978, and 910 food samples in the state failed quality tests during the three years preceding 2021–22, 2022–23, and 2023–24.
Bharuch MP Mansukh Vasava had sought information on the impurity level in the nation’s culinary goods this year and the measures taken against those who tamper with products like milk, edible oil, vegetables and candies.
In his written response, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav stated that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was established in 2008 under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, primarily to establish science-based standards for food articles and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
He added that several state administrations have been conducting regular raids to stop the adulteration of edibles.
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