Following complaints of continued violation of hygiene regulations, the government of Maharashtra has ordered fresh hygiene checks at the warehouses of discount retail chain Subhiksha in the state capital Mumbai.
The issue was raised in the state legislative council by the leader of the opposition Pandurang Phundkar. He demanded action against Subhiksha for not maintaining hygiene in packaged foods. He charged that the company was repacking food items although it did not have a license to do so.
Baba Siddiqui, minister of state for food and civil supplies and drug administration, said that the Food Development Association (FDA), earlier, had temporarily cancelled the store’s license on two separate occasions – from March 1 to10 and form June 23 to 27 – for not complying with hygiene regulations in the food packaging area within its warehouses. However, the minister later informed that there is no ban issued on Subhiksha stores for now.
In its report, the FDA said its team had found foodstuffs lying on the floor amid dirt, dust and spit in Subhiksha’s warehouses, which posed a serious public health hazard.
