Patna: The food safety department has intensified inspections across the Bihar capital ahead of the festive season, taking action against establishments allegedly selling stale food, using burnt cooking oil and operating without valid food licences.
During a special inspection drive on Thursday, food safety teams raided more than half a dozen areas, including Boring Road, Fraser Road, Budh Marg and Kankarbagh. Stale sweets, burnt oil, expired ingredients and other food items were destroyed or seized during the inspections. Three establishments were ordered to shut down immediately for operating without valid food licences.
The department also collected samples of paneer, khoya, sattu, spices and sweets from several establishments and sent them to the State Food Laboratory for testing.
Dirty Kitchens and Burnt Oil Found During Inspections
At Quality Corner on Boring Road, officials found unhygienic kitchen conditions, including a broken floor, dirty walls, uncovered dustbins and an open drain.
The team destroyed 10 kg of chhena sweets, 2.5 litres of burnt cooking oil and 3 kg of other sweets. The establishment has been given 14 days to rectify the deficiencies.
At Plaza Sweets and Chaat on Budh Marg, officials destroyed 41 kg of spoiled flour, two litres of burnt oil and five litres of cloudy sugar vinegar. The establishment did not have a manufacturing licence, according to the inspection findings.
At Paneer and Snacks Corner on Fraser Road, the team destroyed 10 litres of burnt refined oil, 30 stale samosas and expired baking powder. Officials found that the establishment had a licence for sales but was also engaged in large-scale food manufacturing.
Expired baking powder was also destroyed at the establishment’s production unit near Dakbunglow Station.
Dairy Products Seized in Kankarbagh and Kurkuri
The food safety team also inspected dairy product storage facilities and seized large quantities of food items.
At Gopal Patna Dairy in Munna Chak, Kankarbagh, officials seized 360 kg of ghee stored in rusted tins and 45 kg of chhena and rasgulla.
At AK Dairy Products in Kurkuri, more than 420 kg of chhena sweets, gulab jamun and peda were seized.
The inspections also covered other food establishments across the city. At Apna Litti Shop in Malahi Pakri, officials destroyed 7.5 kg of paneer and 10 litres of burnt oil.
At a sandwich outlet on Road No. 4 in Rajiv Nagar, 10 litres of burnt oil was destroyed, and the establishment was served a 14-day notice to address the deficiencies.
Three Establishments Shut Over Missing Food Licences
The department ordered three establishments to close immediately after finding that they did not have valid food licences.
At Daisy Sweets in Nayatola, officials destroyed 15 litres of burnt oil and 6 kg of sweets before ordering the shop to shut down.
Trupti Mishtan Bhandar in Nayatola and Pannalal Factory in AG Colony were also ordered to close after officials found that they did not have food licences.
Food Samples Sent for Laboratory Testing
As part of the drive, officials collected samples of paneer, khoya, sattu, spices and sweets from the inspected establishments and sent them to the State Food Laboratory for analysis.
The laboratory results will help establish whether the sampled products meet food safety standards.
Officials said inspections would continue across Patna during the festive season to check food quality, hygiene standards and compliance with licensing requirements.
