CUTTACK: The Millennium City has turned into a hub of food adulteration with 15 such units being unearthed in the last two months including one on Monday.
Police and health officials raided a fake ghee manufacturing unit at the Jagatpur Industrial Estate on the day and seized spurious ghee worth Rs 1 crore. Raw materials including palmolein oil, vanaspati, chemical colours, essence, logos of popular ghee brands, packing materials and manufacturing machines were seized from the unit which was also producing tomato and chilli sauce.
DCP Prateek Singh said the unit has been operational since 2011 and manufactured spurious ghee and sauce in gross violation of the food safety standards. The packaging date mentioned on the product’s label was found to be two months in advance, said Singh. While owner of the unit is absconding, its manager and staff have been detained.
On Saturday, police had busted fake ghee and spices manufacturing units operating separately in a clandestine manner at Nuabazar and Bhadimula under Chauliaganj police limits. Similarly on Thursday, Malgodown police while investigating in to the sale of fake ghee belonging to some branded companies, unearthed an adulterated ghee manufacturing unit at Gabagasta under Cuttack Sadar police limits. Twenty quintal of spurious ghee was seized from here.
In November second week, police had seized more than 50 quintal of adulterated red chilli powder besides, turmeric, coriander and cumin powder from a fake spice manufacturing unit in Malgodown. The DCP informed that in the last two months, 15 illegal food processing units manufacturing adulterated food products have been detected in and around the city. These units have been producing ghee, spices, tomato and chilli sauces and other products by using harmful, cancer causing chemicals.
While 16 persons involved in these units have been arrested, fake food items worth over Rs 5 crore seized within this period. “These units use duplicate logos of popular brands. They seal and pack the adulterated food items in such a manner that it becomes difficult to differentiate between a fake and an original product”, the DCP informed.
BEWARE OF WHAT YOU EAT
Spurious ghee worth Rs 1 cr seized on Monday from a unit in Jagatpur Industrial Estate
Similar units busted in Nuabazar and Bhadimula under Chauliaganj police limits on Saturday
20 quintal fake ghee seized from another unit in Gabagasta under Cuttack Sadar police limits on Thursday
50 quintal fake spices seized from a unit in Malgodown in Nov 2nd week