State inspects 45 ice cream units, seizes expired stock

CH NEWS, BENGALURU In a decisive statewide push to safeguard public health and clamp down on commercial malpractice, the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department has carried out intensive surprise inspections across 45 ice cream manufacturing units. Prompted by strict directives from Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader, municipal food safety officers fanned out across multiple districts to examine operational hygiene, scrutinize product safety standards, and inspect raw material warehouses. During the sweeping operation, enforcement teams lifted a total of 70 critical food samples—ranging from finished ice cream tubs and liquid milk to milk powder, flavoring substances, sugar, and specialized food additives. All collected specimens have been dispatched immediately to authorized government food laboratories for comprehensive chemical and microbiological analysis to verify whether they adhere strictly to mandated safety regulations. While the majority of inspected facilities complied with baseline rules, the rigorous checks exposed severe lapses, poor sanitary conditions, and regulatory violations across four major processing units. In Bengaluru, surprise raids on local establishment’s uncovered blatant disregard for inventory expiration dates. At Savara Ice Cream Cafe in Jayanagar's 3rd Block, inspection teams confiscated a substantial quantity of expired products, including commercial biscuits, packaged milk, alkalized tea and coffee mixes, and desiccated coconut powder. Simultaneously, checks at M.N. Enterprises in Bilekahalli along Bannerghatta Road led to the immediate seizure of expired plain caramel, condensed milk products, and khoa, alongside explicit violations concerning proper statutory food labeling. Violations were not confined to the capital city. In Raichur, authorities flagged deeply unsanitary operating environments at the Gemini Ice Cream manufacturing plant, issuing a formal notice with strict legal proceedings to follow. Meanwhile, inspections at the John Candy Ice Cream manufacturing unit in Mysuru revealed significant deficiencies in product labeling norms, prompting officers to seize valued stock worth twenty thousand rupees. Senior food safety commissioner Srinivas K. emphasized that these enforcement operations are part of a continuous, statewide drive. The department has vowed to initiate aggressive legal action under the Food Safety and Standards Act against all entities compromising consumer health.