In a significant crackdown on food safety violations, officials from the Jaipur Health Department uncovered a cache of expired and poorly stored food products at an Amazon Seller Services Pvt Ltd facility. The inspection, conducted on Tuesday in the Jhotwara Industrial Area, revealed serious lapses in storage and labeling that could pose risks to consumers.
Expired Products and Unsafe Storage Conditions
During the surprise inspection, food safety officers were confronted with a disturbing sight. Expired food items, including coriander powder, masala buttermilk, pumpkin seeds, and a 1kg packet of chickpeas, were found openly stored on racks, well past their marked expiry dates. The storage conditions were deemed unsafe, with officials noting significant dust accumulation on multiple packets and several leaking packs.
Acting swiftly, the team collected samples of other products, including almond beverage, Unibic biscuits, and cinnamon, for laboratory analysis under the Food Safety and Standards Act. All the expired products discovered during the raid were destroyed on the spot to prevent them from entering the market. Officials stated that formal legal action will be initiated once the laboratory test reports are received.
Misleading Labels and a Separate Oil Racket
The violations did not stop at expired goods. The inspection team also detected a case of misleading labeling. A product branded as 'Krista' bandhani hing was being sold in place of genuine hing (asafoetida). For this specific violation, officials confirmed that a separate challan (legal charge sheet) will be filed before the court.
In a related but separate action on the same day, food safety officers investigated a complaint regarding the alleged sale of counterfeit 'Sona Sikka' brand groundnut oil in the city. The complaint was filed by a representative of Shyam and Shyam Oil Pvt Ltd. This led the team to two shops: Messrs Girraj Trading Company and Messrs Girraj Prasad Pradeep Kumar in the Tunga area.
Alert Shop Owners Prevent Sale
Interestingly, the shop owners themselves raised the alarm. They informed officials that they had placed an order for genuine Sona Sikka oil but became suspicious of the supplied tins. They promptly alerted the parent company, thereby preventing the sale of the potentially substandard oil. During the inspection, 15 tins were found at one shop and 24 at another, making a total of 39 seized tins.
Samples from these tins were collected and sent for testing at the Central State Food Laboratory. Further legal action against the suppliers will depend on the findings of this laboratory report.
Stringent Action Promised
The twin actions underscore the health department's commitment to enforcing food safety standards in Jaipur. The discovery of violations at a facility linked to a major e-commerce platform like Amazon highlights the need for stringent checks across the supply chain. The department has made it clear that such lapses, whether involving expired stock, poor storage, misleading labels, or counterfeit products, will face strict legal consequences to safeguard public health.
