Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation sealed a fafda-jalebi outlet near Vastrapur Lake after testing found Total Polar Compounds (TPC) at 32 in its cooking oil during pre-Dussehra food safety inspections. The civic body also collected 24 food samples from 15 outlets on Monday and imposed a combined fine of Rs 40,000 on 10 units.
The inspections were conducted by teams from the AMC health and food safety department ahead of Dussehra, when demand for fafda and jalebi rises sharply across Ahmedabad. The samples collected on Monday included fafda, jalebi, chutney, chilli powder, cooking oil and gram flour.
According to the report, 47 fafda-jalebi food samples had been collected from an equal number of units up to October 17. All 47 samples met the prescribed quality norms. The action against the Vastrapur outlet followed the test result for its cooking oil, which recorded a TPC level of 32.
The source report identified the sealed establishment as Vastrapur Ganthiya, located near Vastrapur Lake. The AMC’s action illustrates the role of municipal food safety inspections in checking not only prepared food but also ingredients and cooking inputs used by outlets during periods of concentrated seasonal demand.
The civic body also issued notices to 10 units and imposed a total penalty of Rs 40,000. The report did not specify the individual violations associated with each notice or how the fines were divided among the establishments.
The 24 samples collected on Monday had not been tested by the time of the report. Their results were expected after the festival. This means that the initial finding that 47 samples met quality norms relates to the samples collected earlier, while the latest batch remained pending examination.
An AMC official said the corporation had collected and tested fafda and jalebi samples well before Dussehra this year. The official added that inspections at fafda-jalebi outlets would continue on Dussehra day as well.
The inspection drive places seasonal food trade under closer municipal scrutiny at a time when large numbers of outlets and consumers are participating in festival-related activity. For consumers, the immediate enforcement action concerns the quality of cooking oil at the sealed outlet, while the broader results of Monday’s sampling will become clear only after the pending tests are completed.
