Hyderabad: Several violations were detected in various spice manufacturing and repacking units in raids conducted by food safety officials across the city.Inspections were conducted in over 30 spice manufacturing and repacking units. Over 40 samples of various spices, such as chilli, turmeric, black pepper, coriander, curry leaves powder, and bay leaves, were collected and sent for testing.In a post on X, the commissioner of food safety stated that “serious violations” were found at Srivari Spices and Foods Ltd., Jalpally, Rangareddy, and Divine Spices at Kapila Nagar Colony, Bandlaguda Jagir, Hyderabad. The violations included pest and rodent infestation, poor hygiene, absence of supervisors trained by Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC), unlabelled or expired products, and lack of medical fitness records.Moreover, around 15 kg of black pepper and 18 kg of bay leaves, which were contaminated with rat faeces, were sent for analysis. Curry leaf powder was found to be unlabelled and was seized for violating the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. All the contaminated stocks were seized, and officials issued improvement notices to the commercial establishments.
