Food and Drug Administration tests 109 dozen mangoes from Vashi fruit market

A message going viral on WhatsApp groups led the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Maharashtra to conduct an inspection of mangoes being sold in the Vashi fruit market. Over three days, the food department inspection officials from FDA seized 1,308 mangoes (109 dozens).

According to officials, inspection of fruits and vegetables in major markets of the state is a regular annual exercise.

FDA officials received a tip-off about mangoes being artificially ripened using chemicals in Vashi's G and F Galli market, after which a routine inspection was carried out.

Suresh Deshmukh, FDA Food Joint Commissioner (Konkan region), said, "We collected samples under routine inspection. We have given the collected samples for testing in the Mumbai laboratory. If the level of chemicals is tested high, severe action will be taken against the fruit sellers. We haven't found carbide chemical on any of the mangoes seized so far. Ethylene chemical up to 100 ppm and ethephon chemical upto 2 ppm can be used to ripen mangoes."

"Overall, fruits and vegetables worth Rs 45 lakh have been seized so far. A total of 157 cases have been booked by the food department of FDA in the state," said Shailesh Aadhav, Assistant Commissioner, FDA (Food). "The purpose of a random inspection is to check the quality of the fruits and vegetables sold in the market every month," added Aadhav.

SINCE 2011

• The FDA has destroyed 12,873 kg of various fruits and vegetables.
   
• Over 800 samples of fruits and vegetables, other than mangoes, have been collected for testing of chemicals, of which 161 were found unsafe for consumption.