Ahmedabad’s Health Department has seized 10,630 kg of suspected adulterated food products and sealed a factory in the city’s Gota area after allegedly finding tomato ketchup manufactured using potato-based paste instead of tomatoes.
The raid was conducted at Aai Shri Khodiyar Grih Udyog in Meldi Estate, where products labelled as tomato ketchup, chutney and syrup were allegedly being prepared using artificial colours and flavours.
The action was taken by a team from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s (AMC) Health Department, which found a substantial quantity of finished products and raw materials at the premises.
The seized stock included approximately 5,000 kg of finished products reportedly ready for sale in the market, along with more than 5,000 kg of raw materials.
According to Mahendra Patel, a Food Safety Officer with the AMC, the factory was allegedly using potatoes as a substitute for tomatoes in the production of ketchup.
The potatoes were processed into a paste and subsequently converted into powder. This powder was then mixed with water, artificial colours and flavours to prepare a product that was allegedly marketed as tomato ketchup.
Officials found large stainless-steel mixing vessels filled with red sauce, packaged ketchup sachets, sacks of raw materials, plastic drums containing paste-like substances and containers of finished products inside the factory.
Also, the storage area, where ingredients and packaged goods are stacked, providied a visual account of the conditions inside the facility raided by the Health Department.
The department suspects that the products were being sold as tomato-based condiments despite containing no tomatoes.
Officials have raised concerns over the use of artificial colours and flavours in the products and the potential risks associated with their consumption.
Following the raid, the Health Department collected five samples from the factory for laboratory testing to establish the ingredients used and verify the manufacturing process.
The premises have been sealed, and proceedings have been initiated to revoke the factory’s licence. The distribution of the stock found at the facility has also been stopped.
Further action will be determined after the laboratory reports are received. The test results are expected to help officials establish whether the products violated food safety standards and determine the appropriate action against those responsible.
The latest raid comes two days after the AMC’s Health Department took similar action against a factory in Behrampura, where tomato ketchup was allegedly being manufactured using a comparable process.
Officials seized approximately 2,000 kg of suspected adulterated products during that operation.
With another facility now under scrutiny in Gota, the department’s action has brought the alleged manufacture of tomato-free ketchup in the city into focus. Authorities are expected to proceed further based on the laboratory findings and the outcome of the licensing proceedings.
Source: India Today