Ahmedabad: A random food safety test on a children’s snack brand on Friday revealed a bigger shocker. A packet of ‘Bachcho Ka Pasta’, taken from a small shop in Bapunagar, tested positive for oil-soluble dye, which is banned in food products, and put AMC teams on a trail that led to the distributor and the manufacturer.As many as 75,000 packets of ‘Bachcho Ka Pasta’, weighing 1,500 kg in total, have been placed under the ‘stop sale’ order after a raid on the distribution agency in Amraiwadi. AMC sealed the agency and sent seven other eatables seized here to the public health laboratory to be tested for banned substances. AMC health officials said oil-soluble dyes can damage kidneys, the liver, and affect blood cells.An AMC official said, “The sample collected during a routine inspection tested positive for the prohibited dye. Further investigation revealed that the snack brand was being distributed by Aman Sales Agency in Amraiwadi, where a large quantity of different snacks was also found. There is a high likelihood that the stock is substandard or unsafe. Around 75,000 packets of Bachcho Ka Pasta, with an estimated value of Rs 3.75 lakh, were placed under a ‘stop sale’ order, and the agency was sealed.” An AMC press release said the product was manufactured at a unit on the Sujanpur Highway in Siddhpur, Patan.Other samples from the distributor sent for testing are ‘Ketchup Kachori’, ‘Soya Chips’, ‘Billu Popcorn’, ‘Pasta Ka Nashta’, ‘Masti Ki Pathshala Namkeen’ and sugar-boiled confectionery (green apple), according to an AMC press release.“The manufacturer faces legal action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006,” the official added.AMC has warned of punitive legal action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the GPMC Act against any food business operator, manufacturer or distributor found compromising public health.
