Nellore Food Joints Fined ₹4.4 Lakh For Safety Violations
Nellore officials fined food businesses ₹4.4 lakh for violations including expired products, poor hygiene, substandard ingredients and improper labelling.
The Nellore district administration imposed fines totalling ₹4.4 lakh on food businesses for violating food safety standards, following inquiries by the joint collector into cases registered by the Food Safety Department.
Ice-cream outlets were fined ₹85,000 for selling products with lower-than-prescribed fat content, while milk collectors and chilling centre operators were penalised ₹1.35 lakh for supplying milk with low fat content. Juice centres were fined ₹60,000 for using industrial ice and substandard ingredients.
Dark stores and supermarkets faced fines of ₹75,000 for selling expired food products, while restaurants and eateries were penalised ₹30,000 for poor kitchen hygiene. Another ₹15,000 was imposed for improper food labelling. Penalties were also levied on establishments operating without valid FSSAI licences or registrations.
The joint collector directed food businesses to maintain hygiene, ensure product quality, display proper labels, remove expired items and follow the First Expiry, First Out (FEFO) system.
Establishments with unhygienic kitchens were ordered to suspend operations until corrective measures were completed and clearance obtained.
Assistant food controller G. Venkateswara Rao and food safety officers M. Pranuthi Flora and D. Neeraja participated in the enforcement drive.
