CUTTACK: Food safety officials of Cuttack Municipal Corporation on Wednesday, October 6, 2021, seized 10 cartons of rotten eggs that were being transported to a bakery in the city in an auto-rickshaw.
Acting on a tip-off, a team led by city health officer Satyabrat Mohapatra and food safety officer Pratiskhya Das Mohapatra intercepted the three-wheeler on Bajrakabati road and seized the cartons comprising around 3,000 eggs.
“While most of the eggs were rotten, some had even hatched. Upon questioning, the driver of the vehicle revealed that the cartons were being supplied to Bikram Bakery at Saanta Sahi by a hatchery at Bali in Athagarh,” said Mohapatra. The owner of the hatchery has been summoned. “After ascertaining details of supplies from the hatchery, raids will be conducted on bakery units to prevent manufacturing and sale of adulterated food items in the city,” he said.
While the vehicle and cartons were seized, the driver has been detained and a probe launched, said Mohapatra. Sources said several bakeries in the city procure eggs from hatcheries and suppliers at throwaway prices and use them for baking cakes and breads. On September 23, acting on complaints filed by some locals, the civic body officials had sealed three bakeries in Sikharpur in the city, for violation of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Act. The officials had destroyed over one quintal of food materials made of rotten eggs and stored in unhygienic conditions with no mention of manufacturing and expiry dates on the packets.