Hyderabad: Following a surprise inspection of two food production units, the Telangana food safety department suspended the license of one. Sri Sai Ganesh Enterprises in Bolligudem, Boduppal and SR Enterprises in Chengicherla were raided on April 22, where serious lapses in sanitation, documentation, and compliance were uncovered.
Sri Sai Ganesh Enterprises
Sri Sai Ganesh Enterprises, which manufactures packaged drinking water and milk product Khoa, wasn’t any better. The unit had no records of pest control, medical fitness certificates, and Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) documents of handlers.
No water analysis or quality control reports were present, and the in-house laboratory was not functioning. Houseflies were present in the area for manufacturing the milk product.
Inspectors found ‘Kenbey’ brand 2L water bottles, a duplicate brand for Kinley, bearing an outdated FSSAI license. 16 cartons of 2L bottles and 15 cartons of 250 ml bottles were found unlabelled and confiscated.
Moreover, a batch of 38 kg of Ajmer Kalakand was unlabelled and wasted. Non-insect-proof screens on open doors and non-compliant transport vehicles added to the violations.
San Francisco to Jubilee Hills: Hyderabad joins Cake Picnic trend
SR Enterprises
SR Enterprises, a company that produces packaged drinking water, was found in a poor state of affairs. Inspectors found an out-of-order internal quality control lab, no records of pest control, and no external laboratory reports.
The manufacturing facility was full of problems, such as slippery floors, water stagnation, and a lizard seen in the filtration room adjacent to a tank. Doors had no insect-proof screens, and gaps between walls and stored goods presented contamination hazards.
Food handlers did not have compulsory headcaps, gloves, or aprons on, and sealing of bottle caps was being done in unsanitary conditions without gloves. Medical fitness certificates issued to workers were not stamped with dates, and transport vehicles were running without the compulsory FSSAI license. The observations show a bleak picture of neglect at the plant.
The food safety team has forwarded samples from both units for laboratory testing and has started proceedings for license suspension under the FSS Act, 2006 for one.
