North 24 Parganas20 minutes ago
Another shocking food safety incident has come to light in North 24 Parganas, where kilograms of rotten and fungus-infected meat were allegedly found at multiple food courts inside a shopping mall in Madhyamgram.
The discovery was made during a joint inspection by officials from the Food Safety Department, municipality and police. The findings have revived memories of the infamous 2018 carcass meat scandal in Bengal.
Statewide food safety inspections underway
The inspections are being conducted across West Bengal following directions from Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The state has also launched ‘Consumer Protection Week’ from Monday.
At the programme’s inauguration at the Hogg Market area in New Market, the chief minister announced a zero-tolerance policy against fraudulent practices, including food adulteration, harmful colouring of vegetables and fish, and manipulation of weights and measures.
Following the announcement, inspections have been carried out at several locations across the state.
40 kg rotten meat found at Baduria restaurant
On Tuesday, officials raided a prominent restaurant on Didimoni Road in Baduria, North 24 Parganas. Nearly 40 kg of rotten meat was reportedly recovered from its kitchen. The seized meat allegedly included both chicken and mutton. Restaurant employees initially told officials that the meat had been kept separately because it was meant to be discarded.
However, Food Safety Department officials were not satisfied with the explanation. The restaurant was served a notice and asked to provide a proper explanation within 24 hours. Officials warned that failure to do so could result in the restaurant being shut down.
The incident triggered tension in the area, with political allegations also emerging.
BJP leader Sanjay Ghosh alleged that several hotels and restaurants had been involved in illegal practices for years. He said strict action should be taken against establishments found violating food safety regulations.
Fungus infected meat found at Madhyamgram mall
A similar situation was reportedly detected at several food courts inside Star Mall on Jessore Road in Madhyamgram.
Food Safety Officers allegedly found rotten, fungus-infected meat, expired food packets and beverage bottles during the inspection. According to officials, restaurant employees allegedly attempted to throw the food items into dustbins after seeing the inspection team.
Officials inspected multiple food courts on the mall’s third and fourth floors and reportedly found serious food safety violations.
The licences of several food court operators were allegedly cancelled on the spot by Food Safety Officers.
Officials flag storage and licence violations
The mall attracts thousands of visitors every day, including people of different age groups who purchase food from its food courts. Officials said several establishments had licence-related issues, while the quality and storage of food were also found to be unsatisfactory.
In one case, raw meat was reportedly found stored in a refrigerator for around three days.
Food safety violations reported at Shaktigarh
Meanwhile, allegations of unhygienic food practices have also surfaced at the Langcha Hub in Shaktigarh, East Burdwan. Officials conducted inspections at several sweet shops, hotels, roadside eateries and restaurants. They reportedly detected irregularities in the preparation, storage and serving of food.
Authorities also directed some establishments to destroy and dispose of food products and ingredients considered unfit for consumption.
Gfx by Aayushi Jain.
