UP Food safety officials raid Vishal Mega Mart, seize products

GHAZIABAD: The Uttar Pradesh Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has raided a departmental store in Rajendra Nagar area of Sahibabad here and found that it was displaying expired food items.

FDA inspector Yaduveer Singh Yadav told that during its routine exercise the team reached Vishal Mega Mart and searched its counters for various eatable items being displayed for sale.

During the inspection, the team found that 20 packets of a sweet dish, displayed on the counters, had expired.
A video film of the displayed items was also taken by FDA team as evidence.

Rice and black gram were also found to be infested with weevil moths, bugs and borers. They were also on display on counters for "loose sale".

Sample of soan papdi (4 packets), rice and black gram were seized by the FDA team.

The store manager was directed to destroy rice (50 kg), black grams (80 kg) and 16 packets of 'soan papdi' in presence of FDA officials, the officer said.

Seized samples will be sent to laboratory for testing, he said.

Head of HR department of Vishal Mega Mart, Rajesh Mishra, said that the expired 'soan papdi' was stored in their warehouse where customers don't have any access.

But, he, accepted that rice and black gram was infested due to moisture.

Mishra said that some of the expired products are taken back by the manufacturers while remaining items are destroyed at regular intervals.