Ahmedabad: AMC’s inspections intensified during the last month, the time of Navratri and the run-up to Diwali, when food outlets do brisk business, some by throwing the health and food safety rulebook out of the window. Between Oct 1 and Nov 2, AMC teams collected 841 food samples for testing at the public laboratory. Of these, 27 samples failed the test — two were declared unsafe and 25 were substandard. Nineteen units were sealed for violations.Interestingly, on Nov 1 and 2 alone, 2,226 units were inspected, notices issued to 660 and 1,345 kg of food and 1,289 litres of liquids were destroyed. During the two days, 614 tests for Total Polar Compounds (TPC) in cooking oil were conducted.Among the items tested over the past month were samples of ‘ketchup’ made using potato flakes and unpermitted food colours. MJF Food in Behrampura and Shree Khodiyar Gruh Udyog in Gota, from where they were collected, were sealed for manufacturing unsafe food products. Both products did not contain tomatoes. The samples contained synthetic colours — Sunset Yellow, Ponceau 4R, Tartrazine Yellow, and Carmoisine — which are hazardous to health, as well as high levels of starch. The stock seized from both units was destroyed.Samples of loose ghee from Gujarat Dairy in Dariapur, butter from Om Food Centre in Sarkhej, tomato sauce from Janta Fast Food in Maninagar, butter from Shyambag in Hathijan, and dabeli from Shreeji Dabeli & Vadapav Centre in Ghatlodia were declared substandard. Other items declared substandard were puffs, snack toppings, pani puri water, and mawa.During the 10-month period from Jan to Oct 2025, 4,071 food samples were tested and 131 were ‘unapproved’. Penalties totalling Rs 62.1 lakh were collected from various units. In comparison, during the same period this year, 7,339 samples were collected and 327 declared ‘unapproved’. Fines collected during the period amount to over Rs 1 crore.
