Jamnagar Municipal Corporation Raids Food Units: 324 kg Ghee Seized, Adulterants Destroyed Ahead of Diwali

JAMNAGAR — The Food Department of Jamnagar Municipal Corporation (JMC) launched a massive crackdown on suspected food adulteration across the city on Tuesday, seizing over 300 kilograms of ghee and destroying thousands of rupees worth of degraded oils, synthetic colours, and stale sweets. Executed on the direct orders of JMC Commissioner Dipesh Kedia, the sudden raids targeted major distribution hubs and retail sweet shops ahead of the high-demand Diwali festive season.

Massive Seizure at Grain Market Warehouse

During an intensive inspection drive near Khand Bazar in the city's Grain Market, food safety officers raided Kash Traders' godown, owned by Mahmudhussein Abdulrazak Kash. The team uncovered a stockpile of 324 kg of ghee suspected of failing food safety standards. Officials seized the entire inventory, valued at £1,13,400 (approx. ₹1,13,400), and drew official samples for laboratory analysis.

The team also uncovered a dangerous cocktail of mixing agents at the facility. Authorities seized and destroyed 16 empty and four full tins of Proto Vanaspati oil, alongside two empty and three-and-a-half full tins of Suman Gold refined palm oil, and five litres of synthetic food colouring and flavouring agents. The destroyed inventory was estimated at £25,290.

Sweets and Namkeen Outlets Face Strict Checks

Simultaneously, food inspectors moved into the Gokulnagar residential and commercial belt, targeting local confectioners and farsan (savoury snack) vendors. Teams conducted Total Polar Compound (TPC) tests on-site to evaluate the quality and repeated use of cooking oil across multiple establishments, noting that overall oil quality parameters remained within permissible safety limits.

However, several vendors faced immediate action over hygiene standards and unhygienic packaging:

• Kheteshwar Sweet & Namkeen: Officers disposed of 10 kg of stale sweets found unfit for human consumption. Samples of white coconut toprapak and mixed chavana were gathered for lab testing.
• Dhanlaxmi Farsan: Inspectors confiscated and destroyed two kilograms of old newspaper stock used illegally for food wrapping, subsequently taking samples of tikha gathiya.
• Hariom Namkeen & Sweet: Food safety officers seized formal test samples of gathiya and gulab barfi.
• Vishwa Farsan: Samples of thabdi peda were collected for detailed composition analysis.
• Shree Ram Sweet & Namkeen: Official testing samples of mesub and farali chevdo were drawn.

Inspection teams also conducted thorough hygiene audits at Khodiyar Sweet & Farsan and Rajaram Fast Food.

JMC officials confirmed that surveillance will intensify across the city in the coming days to curb festive food adulteration and guarantee safe, unadulterated food products for consumers throughout the festival period.