The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has fined a D-Mart outlet in the Limbayat-Godadara area ₹5,000 and issued a notice after a customer complained of finding insects in a packet of almonds.
The complaint was received on Monday, following which officials from the SMC’s Food Safety and Health Department inspected the outlet. The team also checked other food packets at the store as part of the inspection.
The action comes amid intensified food safety checks across Surat over the past two weeks. SMC teams have been inspecting hotels, restaurants, roadside eateries, malls and other establishments selling food and beverages. The inspections focus on hygiene, food quality, expiry dates and storage conditions.
Despite the ongoing inspections, complaints of food contamination have continued to surface. Recently, a worm was reportedly found in a tomato fritter in the Dumas area, while the health department had also taken action after a worm was allegedly found in a roti served at a hotel in Varachha.
The latest action against the D-Mart outlet comes shortly after another inspection on August 22, when civic officials reportedly found rotten coconut and poor-quality flour. The outlet was fined ₹75,000 in that case.
The repeated complaints have raised concerns over the quality and storage of food products at the outlet, prompting renewed scrutiny from civic authorities.