55 tonnes of mislabelled food products worth ₹33.94 lakh seized from snack manufacturing units in Hyderabad

The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) has seized 55 tonnes of mislabelled food products worth ₹33.94 lakh from Sahil Foods’ manufacturing units located in Premavatipet near Katedan area of Hyderabad, following inspections that revealed multiple food safety violations.

The enforcement teams inspected five manufacturing units of Sahil Foods, a company engaged in the manufacture and sale of snacks and savouries, on October 19. Following the inspections, the licences and registrations of four units were suspended, and the units were directed to discontinue business operations.

The inspections revealed several hygiene lapses, including dusty and poorly maintained machinery, production conveyors clogged with food waste and inadequate ventilation. Officials also found some food handlers chewing gutka or pan masala at work, food waste littered across the premises and synthetic food colours stored in untidy buckets.

The units were also found to have deficiencies in licensing, with certain food categories being manufactured without the required endorsements on their Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licences. Officials found that production and sales records were not maintained. Products were being packed with a declared shelf life of three months, but the units did not have records of shelf-life studies to support the declaration.

Several food articles were stored directly on the floor instead of on pallets, while testing records for food articles and water analysis reports were not maintained, the press note stated. In addition to seizing the 55 tonnes of mislabelled food products, the enforcement teams collected 11 samples of food articles for laboratory analysis on suspicion of adulteration.