The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) Food Department has uncovered the use of substandard paneer at several prominent hotels and restaurants across the city following a series of raids conducted last week.
Food safety teams inspected 10 well-known establishments located in Nikol, Thakkarbapanagar, Navrangpura, Satellite, Naranpura, Jodhpur, Vejalpur and Anandnagar. Samples of paneer collected during the drive were tested at the municipal laboratory, where all were found to be substandard and uncertified.
According to officials, hotels and restaurants including Barbecue Nation, The Leo Pizza, Real Paprika, Pizzarte, Ubot Hospitality and Nutellius were found to be serving paneer that did not meet prescribed quality standards.
Lab Findings And Action Taken
Laboratory examination revealed that the paneer samples contained vegetable and palm oil and had low milk fat content, indicating that they were not prepared as per food safety norms.
Following the findings, the AMC Food Department issued notices to all the concerned units. Fines ranging between Rs 7,000 and Rs 20,000 were imposed, with a total penalty amounting to Rs 97,000 collected so far.
In addition, authorities seized 173 kg of paneer worth Rs 52,880 from R.K. Dairy Products on Sola Road, Vijay Dairy in Vejalpur and Krishna Dairy in Naroda.
Wider Food Safety Drive
The action was part of a broader food safety inspection campaign carried out across Ahmedabad. During the drive, AMC’s food safety teams collected a total of 495 samples from different areas of the city for laboratory testing.
These included 110 samples of milk and milk products, 16 samples of sweets, 45 samples of gram flour and grains, 35 samples of edible oil, 201 samples of spices, iodized salt and other food items.
From February 1 to February 8, teams inspected 1,083 establishments across the city. During this period, notices were issued to 492 units for various violations. Authorities also destroyed 823 kg and 878 litres of inedible stock.
A total fine of Rs 6.72 lakh was collected during this inspection period.
District Authorities Informed
AMC officials confirmed that a letter has been sent to the District Food Officer detailing the issue related to substandard paneer and informing them of the action taken.
The civic body has indicated that inspections will continue to ensure food safety standards are maintained and to prevent the sale of adulterated or low-quality food products to consumers.
Dr. Shipra Bhatnagar, Nutritionist, told Vibes of India that these paneers are synthetically made and detergents are also added. She further explained that detergent leads to toxicity and it is carcinogenic. She said that eating such paneers affects the whole body.
She further advised that people should eat at places where they feel they will get authentic food. Dr. Bhatnagar said that there are simple tests to find out if the paneer is real or fake. She said that panner that feels rubbery is fake and the one that crumbles when pressed is fresh.
Also Read: Gujarat: Dead Rat Found In Paneer Bhurji; AMC Raids Restaurant https://www.vibesofindia.com/amc-raids-restaurant-after-dead-rat-found-in-paneer-bhurji/
