Karnataka’s food safety department has reported expired ingredients, poor hygiene and labelling deficiencies during inspections of 45 ice cream manufacturing and food units across the state, including facilities in Bengaluru, Raichur and Mysuru. The inspections were conducted on Thursday as part of a special drive by the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) Department.
The department’s food safety division said in a statement issued on Friday that officials collected 70 samples from the inspected units. The samples included ice cream, milk, milk powder, flavouring substances, sugar, food additives and other raw materials. They have been sent to government food laboratories to assess their quality and compliance with prescribed food safety standards.
In Bengaluru, officials found expired food products at Savara Ice Cream Café in Jayanagar, according to the FSDA. The products listed by the department included biscuits, milk, alkalised tea and coffee mixes, and desiccated coconut powder. The items were seized during the inspection.
At M N Enterprises in Bilekahalli, Bengaluru, FSDA officials reported finding expired caramel, milk sweeteners and khoa. The department also reported unhygienic conditions at Gemini Ice Cream Manufacturing Unit in Raichur. At the John Candy Ice Cream facility in Mysuru, officials identified deficiencies in labelling.
The findings extend a recent inspection effort by Karnataka’s FSDA across food businesses that serve or store products for public consumption. In recent months, the department has inspected kitchens and food storage facilities at five-star hotels, prominent restaurants, fast-food centres and private clubs in the state.
The inspection campaign began after U T Khader took charge of the Health and Family Welfare portfolio in June, according to the report. The action follows a wider focus on food safety enforcement, with the Karnataka inspections being conducted along lines similar to the Food and Drug Administration crackdown led by commissioner Tukaram Mundhe in Mumbai.
The latest inspections place manufacturing units, cafés and storage practices under scrutiny rather than focusing only on the final product sold to consumers. The laboratory testing of samples will determine whether the products and raw materials comply with food safety standards. The FSDA has not yet released the laboratory findings from this drive.
The department said the special inspection drives at ice cream manufacturing units would continue across Karnataka. It also said appropriate legal action would be taken against those found violating provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and its rules and regulations.
