SRINAGAR: A red chilli powder sample from a Patanjali Foods manufacturing unit in Uttarakhand was declared unsafe during a 2024–25 nationwide sampling drive, after pesticide residues were found above the permissible limits, the Health Ministry informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, which conducted the testing under its annual surveillance programme, issued a recall order based on the lab findings. The company subsequently withdrew the affected batch from the market, Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav said in a written reply.
The ministry clarified that no samples of Amul products have been found unsafe under parameters prescribed in the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, countering reports that grouped the brand with violators.
Jadhav said enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards Act is jointly handled by the Centre and States, with FSSAI and State food safety departments carrying out routine inspections, targeted drives, and random sampling across the year. Violations of standards attract regulatory action, including punitive measures against defaulting food business operators, he said.
The minister added that continuous surveillance, special enforcement drives and the National Annual Surveillance Plan form part of the Government’s strategy to ensure that only safe and compliant food products reach consumers. -(KL)
