The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Pune, on Wednesday said it had seized 800kg of mangoes allegedly ripened using chemicals during a raid at a supplier’s facility in Indapur taluka of Pune district. Acting on a tip-off, officials confiscated stock worth ₹20,000 from MR Fruit Supplier near Ketkeshwar Mangal Karyalaya in Nimgaon Ketki on Tuesday.
According to officials, the supplier Sahidur Rahman Shefuuddin Sheikh allegedly mixed Ethephon (Ethrel) chemical with water and sprayed on raw mangoes to induce ripening and give it an artificial yellow colour before sale. The samples have been sent for testing as per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
DV Bhogawade, joint commissioner, FDA (Food), Pune region, said, “Strict legal action will be initiated against those found violating the law.”
The administration has urged citizens to report cases of artificial fruit ripening or food safety violations through the toll-free helpline 1800-222-365.