FDA had conducted tests to check safety of snack brand’s products
Mumbai : The results of sample tests being conducted by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on products of Haldiram, the popular snack brand, to determine whether the same are fit for human consumption or not are expected within a fortnight, informed an FDA official on Saturday. Following this, the results will be sent to the state government and a decision will be taken on the food products after considering all the aspects.
Nearly 10 samples of Haldiram snacks collected from Nagpur and Mumbai have been sent for analysis to the State Public Health Laboratory in Pune and the Food Testing Laboratory in Bandra, Mumbai.
Speaking on the matter, the joint commissioner (food) of the FDA, Suresh Annapure, said, “We had received the instructions from the state government on Thursday, following which we had immediately sent the samples of the food product for testing and the results will be out in 15 days. We will be checking the product samples according to scientific norms and our major focus will be on the presence of pesticides. After conducting thorough research and testing, we will come to a conclusion on the popular snack brand.”
The samples were sent for testing after reports emerged that many Haldiram products have been banned in the United States, following which the Maharashtra government directed the FDA to test all the food products of the Nagpur-based snack-maker. Directions were issued by the Minister of State for FDA, Vidya Thakur, to check if the products are fit for human consumption as there were reports of USFDA finding high levels of pesticides, mold and salmonella in the packaged snack food imported from India.
