'No Tomatoes, Just Papaya, Potato, and Harmful Colour': Ahmedabad Food Department Seizes 10,000 Kg of Fake Tomato Sauce in Gota

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s food department has seized around 10,630 kg of tomato sauce and raw materials with combined worth of ₹4.20 lakh from a unit in Gota for allegedly making tomato-free sauce using papaya pulp, potatoes, sugar and potentially harmful colour. The department sealed the unit, 'Aai Shree Khodiyar Gruh Udyog', near Gota railway station.

Officials raided the unit in Meldi Estate after receiving information that it was manufacturing a tomato-like product without using tomatoes. The seized stock included the finished product and ingredients used in its preparation.

The department said the product was being sold as tomato sauce despite being made from alternative ingredients. Officials have initiated action against the unit and said further proceedings, including a penalty, would follow.

Fake Tomato Sauce Served With Fast Food

The product was packed in small containers and sold as tomato sauce to small vendors, who allegedly used it in popular fast-food items such as dabeli, vada pav, sandwiches and burgers.

Customers buying these snacks may have been unaware of the ingredients used in the sauce served alongside them. The case has raised concerns over misleading food labelling and the quality of condiments used by street-food vendors.

The use of colour described by officials as potentially harmful has also prompted questions about the product’s safety. Samples have been collected and sent to a laboratory for testing to determine the ingredients and assess the product’s compliance with food safety standards.

Unit Previously Sealed Over Poor Hygiene

Aai Shree Khodiyar Gruh Udyog had reportedly faced action earlier over unhygienic conditions, when the unit was sealed. Its alleged involvement in another food safety violation has raised fresh concerns about compliance with hygiene and manufacturing standards.

The food department is expected to pursue further action against the unit following the seizure.

Bills for ingredients listed on the label not produced

Bills supporting the ingredients declared on the product label could not be produced. The label listed ingredients including water, fruit pulp, sugar, chilli powder, stabiliser (E 1422), salt, acidity regulator (E 330), spice extracts and preservatives. It also stated that the product contained synthetic food colours (E 122 and E 110) and permitted Class II preservatives.

To verify whether the listed ingredients were actually used in the product and confirm their purchase, officials sought the relevant bills. However, the requested bills were not produced during the inspection.

Action to be taken for misbranding

Irregularities in labelling and representations that could mislead consumers about the product's true identity and ingredients were observed.

Under Section 3(1)(zf) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, a food product with false or misleading claims or non-compliant labelling may fall under the definition of misbranded food. Section 23 prohibits misleading representations in packaging and labelling, while Section 26 places responsibility for compliance on food business operators.

If misbranding is established, action will be taken under Section 52 of the Act.

Similar Raid in Danilimda

The Gota raid follows an earlier operation by the food department against a unit on the Danilimda-Pirana Road in the Behrampura ward, where a tomato-free product was allegedly manufactured and sold as tomato sauce.

Officials seized around 2,000 kg of stock during that operation. The discovery of another such unit in Ahmedabad has raised concerns about the production and sale of sauce-like products that may mislead consumers about their ingredients.