Food safety concerns in Ahmedabad have grown after inspections by the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) revealed the sale and consumption of substandard and adulterated food items across the city. The AMC Food Department recently detected serious violations during routine checks carried out in January.
During the inspections, samples of commonly used food items such as butter, paneer, ghee, jaggery, green chutney and patra were collected from various establishments. Laboratory analysis showed that samples from 10 units did not meet prescribed food safety standards. Cases have been registered against the concerned units under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Act, and the matters have been referred to court. AMC Food Department officer Dr Tejas Shah confirmed that legal action has begun and notices have been issued to the defaulting units.
Checks on street food vendors, especially panipuri sellers, also raised serious concerns. Of the 1,319 panipuri carts inspected, samples were collected from 52 vendors. A total of 291 samples were found to contain harmful, non-permitted food colours, leading to the immediate closure of the erring carts.
Meanwhile, inspections of edible oil quality showed comparatively better results. A total of 235 oil samples were tested for Total Polar Compounds (TPC), and none were found to be unfit for consumption. Although one vendor was stopped from selling, no oil sample failed the quality test.
The Food Department reported that adulterants such as starch, palm oil, low-grade fats, sulphur dioxide and reused oil were detected in several food products. Health experts warned that consuming such adulterated food can cause serious health problems, including heart disease, malnutrition, digestive disorders, diarrhoea, vomiting, respiratory issues like asthma, acidity and other illnesses.
Under the GPMC Act, several establishments — including Das Khaman (Nikol), Sawaibhoj Maharaj (Usmanpura), Shailesh’s Panipuri (Behrampura) and Afzal Ahmedbhai Zaveri (Juhapura) — were sealed for violations.
In January alone, AMC inspected 1,485 food units, issued notices to 523 establishments and imposed fines totalling ₹5.73 lakh. Municipal officials said strict monitoring will continue and further action will be taken against violators to protect public health.