Karnataka’s Food Safety and Drug Administration Department inspected 45 ice-cream manufacturing units across the state on October 8, collecting 70 samples for laboratory testing and seizing expired food products from establishments in Bengaluru and Mysuru.
The inspection drive was conducted on the directions of Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and related rules, the department said in an official release. The samples included ice cream, milk, milk powder, flavouring substances, sugar, food additives and other raw materials used in production.
The collected material has been sent to government food laboratories to assess its quality and compliance with prescribed safety standards. The department has not yet released the laboratory findings or identified any products as unsafe on the basis of test results.
During the drive, officials seized expired biscuits, milk, alkalised tea and coffee mixes and desiccated coconut powder from Savara Ice Cream Cafe in Jayanagar 3rd Block and expired plain caramel, Milkmaid and khoa from M N Enterprises in Bilekahalli. Both establishments fall under the South Zone of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, now part of the Greater Bengaluru Authority structure mentioned in the report.
Officials also found deficiencies in labelling requirements at M N Enterprises. The findings relate to products and compliance conditions recorded during the inspection; further legal action will be initiated against the establishments concerned under the Food Safety and Standards Act and applicable rules, the department said.
In Raichur, inspectors observed unhygienic conditions at Gemini Ice Cream Manufacturing Unit and issued a notice to the establishment. In Mysuru, deficiencies in labelling were found at John Candy Ice Cream Manufacturing Unit, where ice-cream products worth Rs 20,000 were seized.
The inspection locations show how food-safety enforcement covers more than the final point of sale. Officials examined manufacturing units and the raw materials entering production, while also checking storage, expiry information, labelling and hygiene conditions. These checks are significant for urban consumers because ice-cream products move through a chain linking manufacturers, cafes, retailers and local distribution networks.
The department said the samples would be assessed in government laboratories and that appropriate action would be taken against establishments found violating food-safety norms. It also said special inspection drives at ice-cream manufacturing units would continue across Karnataka in the interest of public health.
The next formal steps are the laboratory analysis of the 70 samples and legal proceedings against establishments where violations are established under the relevant food-safety law and regulations.
