The Commissioners of Food Safety of all States/UTs and Regional Directors of FSSAI have been requested to maintain strict vigilance over fruit markets and mandis
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The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed all States and Union Territories to intensify surveillance, inspections and conduct special enforcement drives to prevent the illegal use of non-permitted fruit ripening agents, as well as colouring and coating of fruits with synthetic colours or non-permitted wax.
Calcium carbide is strictly prohibited for the artificial ripening of fruits under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011. The use of this substance poses serious health risks and is known to cause mouth ulcers, gastric irritation and has carcinogenic properties.
“The Commissioners of Food Safety of all States/UTs and Regional Directors of FSSAI have been requested to maintain strict vigilance over fruit markets and mandis, to curb illegal use of fruit ripening using agents like calcium carbide, commonly known as ‘masala’,” it said in a statement.
It has asked the Commissioners to inspect godowns and storage facilities, particularly those suspected of using substances like calcium carbide for ripening. The presence of calcium carbide on the premises or stored alongside crates of fruits will be treated as circumstantial evidence against the Food Business Operator (FBO), potentially leading to prosecution under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act 2006, it added.
The Authority said it has also identified cases where ethephon solution was used to artificially ripen bananas and other fruits by dipping them directly into the chemical. It said that ethephon should only for generating ethylene, strictly in accordance with the prescribed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
FSSAI reiterates that any violation of these norms will attract strict penal action under the FSS Act, 2006. The Authority encourages all stakeholders in the supply chain including FBOs and consumers to remain vigilant and ensure that only safe and legally compliant fruits reach the market to ensure food safety and quality.
Published on May 20, 2025
The Commissioners of Food Safety of all States/UTs and Regional Directors of FSSAI have been requested to maintain strict vigilance over fruit markets and mandis
i
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed all States and Union Territories to intensify surveillance, inspections and conduct special enforcement drives to prevent the illegal use of non-permitted fruit ripening agents, as well as colouring and coating of fruits with synthetic colours or non-permitted wax.
Calcium carbide is strictly prohibited for the artificial ripening of fruits under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011. The use of this substance poses serious health risks and is known to cause mouth ulcers, gastric irritation and has carcinogenic properties.
“The Commissioners of Food Safety of all States/UTs and Regional Directors of FSSAI have been requested to maintain strict vigilance over fruit markets and mandis, to curb illegal use of fruit ripening using agents like calcium carbide, commonly known as ‘masala’,” it said in a statement.
It has asked the Commissioners to inspect godowns and storage facilities, particularly those suspected of using substances like calcium carbide for ripening. The presence of calcium carbide on the premises or stored alongside crates of fruits will be treated as circumstantial evidence against the Food Business Operator (FBO), potentially leading to prosecution under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act 2006, it added.
The Authority said it has also identified cases where ethephon solution was used to artificially ripen bananas and other fruits by dipping them directly into the chemical. It said that ethephon should only for generating ethylene, strictly in accordance with the prescribed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
FSSAI reiterates that any violation of these norms will attract strict penal action under the FSS Act, 2006. The Authority encourages all stakeholders in the supply chain including FBOs and consumers to remain vigilant and ensure that only safe and legally compliant fruits reach the market to ensure food safety and quality.
Published on May 20, 2025
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The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making
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It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution
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