Kolkata civic body’s food raids target street stalls; teams find synthetic kesar, industrial ice

A KMC food safety drive in north Calcutta on Saturday uncovered the use of synthetic kesar at pav bhaji stalls, industrial ice at lassi shops and unauthorised colours in soan papdi sold at sweet shops.

“Food items from over 30 stalls and shops across Muktaram Babu Street, Nimtolla Ghat Street and Vivekananda Road were examined during the drive,” a senior KMC health department official said.

“In some places, we found stale bread and expired milk pouches being used,” he said.

The team discarded over a kilogram of synthetic colour from pav bhaji stalls, along with fungus-ridden bread and expired milk pouches. The raids were part of the civic body’s festive-season food safety surveillance drive.

“Customers, stall operators and shop owners were informed about the effects of using adulterated food items and warned of stringent action in the future,” the official said.

KMC teams have been conducting food safety drives for some time.

During a week-long drive in September, civic teams inspected 592 establishments, collected samples from 161 locations and discarded 1,224kg of food that violated safety norms.

“The drive was undertaken to make the entire food industry a little more responsible and accountable to the people of Calcutta. We tried to cover almost all segments offering food to the people, including hotels, clubs, restaurants, markets and bazaars,” KMC commissioner Smita Pandey had said.

The civic body has been stepping up inspections of food establishments during the festive season to check adulteration and ensure compliance with food safety standards. Officials said such drives would continue to identify unsafe food items and sensitise vendors about hygienic practices.