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Food Scares: Expired Goods and Pests Found in Delhi Warehouses
17 Oct
Summary
- Expired food like peas and yogurt discovered in storage facilities.
- Pest infestations including flies, mosquitoes, and a lizard noted.
- Unsanitary conditions and temperature control failures found.
Ahead of the festival season, Delhi's Food Safety Department conducted an enforcement drive that uncovered significant issues at food storage facilities for online delivery and retail companies. Inspectors discovered expired products, including frozen green peas, Greek yogurt, brownies, and desi ghee, at several premises. For instance, one company's facility in Uttam Nagar was found to be storing these expired items.
Compounding the concerns, inspections revealed widespread unhygienic storage conditions and inadequate pest control measures. At a facility in Wazirpur Industrial Area, officials noted the presence of flies, mosquitoes, and a lizard, alongside spider webs and a missing cleaning schedule. Another online food aggregator's premises in Daryaganj showed dirty crates and dust, with insufficient rat traps.
The drive also highlighted temperature control failures, with many premises not maintaining prescribed temperatures. Of the 59 desi ghee samples tested, 19 were deemed unsafe, and four failed food safety standards. Additionally, a Rohini store lacked proper food segregation to prevent cross-contamination. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has directed officials to enhance market and storage facility monitoring.
