Oil seized from Dahisar dealer adulterated

Samples of edible oil collected from a Dahisar-based dealer last September have tested positive for adulteration.

Samples of edible oil collected from a Dahisar-based dealer last September have tested positive for adulteration.

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Around 2,338 kg of groundnut oil, worth Rs 1.65 lakh, that was seized from Om Trading Company’s Dahisar godown was found to be adulterated, said S Deshmukh, assistant commissioner (food) of the Food and Drugs Administration.

“We will file a case against Om Trading Company once the paper work is completed,” Deshmukh said.

The Food and Drugs Administration had raided 21 dealers across Dahisar, Ghatkopar, Andheri, Govandi, Malad, Kandivli, Mulund and Bhendi Bazar between August and February 2010.

Samples from two dealers have tested negative for adulteration in the laboratory tests, while the reports of the samples collected from 18 others are pending.

Deshmukh said Om Trading Company had been tagged its oil as “double filtered” for which it could face stiffer charge.

Rule 37D of the Prevention of the Food Adulteration Rules, 1955, prohibits any product to be termed as “super refined” or “extra refined”.

The minimum punishment under this charge is six months’ imprisonment.

“With inflation, people tend to adulterate food products that are consumed on a daily basis. We thus took up a major raid of edible oils in various pockets across the city,” added Deshmukh.