Chilli powder with saw dust among adulterated and expired spices seized from two units in Hyderabad

Chilli powder with saw dust among adulterated and expired spices seized from two units in Hyderabad Chilli powder containing powdered stems and sawdust, and coriander powder mixed with ground branches and stems, were among the products seized.

Key points

• Authorities seized 330 kgs of such expired or unsuitable products, comprising 210 kg of red chilli powder, 60 kg of turmeric powder and 60 kg of coriander powder.
• Hyderabad police seize 25.5 tonnes of adulterated ghee, 1, 200 litres of palm oil, 600 litres of vanaspathi.
• While proprietor Kavita Naresh Devnani, 48, was documented to be absconding, the supervisor, Devnani Bhupesh, 23, was apprehended.
• The raids were conducted by the SOT Malkajgiri, SOT Cantonment, Uppal Police and Malkajgiri Food Adulteration Surveillance Team as part of M-FAST.
• Dairy owner nabbed for manufacturing adulterated ghee worth ₹18.26 lakh in Banjara Hills raid.

Malkajgiri police commissioner B. Sumathi inspecting the spices during the raids. Photo Credit: By Arrangement.

Chilli powder containing powdered stems and sawdust, and coriander powder mixed with ground branches and stems, were among the adulterated food products detected during raids at two units in Medipally and Ramanthapur on Thursday.

Notably, the operations were conducted by the Special Operations Team (SOT) Malkajgiri, SOT Cantonment, Uppal Police and the Malkajgiri Food Adulteration Surveillance Team as part of the M-FAST initiative.

In Medipally, the teams discovered that stems were powdered and mixed into chilli powder. According to An officer involved in the raid from the SOT, sawdust was additionally allegedly mixed into the chilli powder, with the adulterants accounting for around 20-30% of the product.

"Low-quality material was additionally being employed in coriander powder. Branches and stems were allegedly mixed into the coriander powder. In turmeric powder, the outer layer and material discarded during the initial cleaning process were allegedly ground and mixed into the product, " explained the officer.

Notably, the raid at Sai Thirumala Enterprises in Srinivas Nagar Colony resulted in the seizure of 10, 890 kg of food material, including 2, 300 kg of turmeric powder, 3, 350 kg of chilli powder, 5, 140 kg of coriander powder and 100 kg of garam masala. The seized material was valued at around ₹25 lakh.

Police remarked the unit was additionally using duplicate or look-alike packaging of the 'Swadeshi Swastik' brand for the products. Two persons, Sathya Narayana and Rudra Shekar, were apprehended and handed over to Medipally police for further legal action.

At V Mehak Masalas in Ramanthapur, authorities identified that expired or unsuitable-for-sale spice products were allegedly being repacked with new dates and prepared for sale. The products included Prasiddhi Red Chilli Powder, Prasiddhi Turmeric Powder and Spice Master Coriander Powder.

Authorities seized 330 kgs of such expired or unsuitable products, comprising 210 kg of red chilli powder, 60 kg of turmeric powder and 60 kg of coriander powder. They additionally seized 400 kg of jeera, 1, 750 kg of haldi, 25 kg of dhaniya, 53 kg of haldi material and five processing machines. The total property seized was valued at around ₹1.25 crore.

For context, the raids were conducted by the SOT Malkajgiri, SOT Cantonment, Uppal Police and Malkajgiri Food Adulteration Surveillance Team as part of M-FAST. Police advised consumers to check the manufacturing and expiry or best-before dates, batch number, FSSAI details and packaging before purchasing food products.

Taken together, the developments around chilli powder with saw dust among adulterated and expired spices seized from point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.