A municipal court in Rajkot has sentenced two food business owners to six months of rigorous imprisonment and imposed fines after laboratory tests confirmed the presence of prohibited artificial colors in food sold at their establishments.
Details of the Cases
Judicial Magistrate First Class (Municipal Court) Kamleshkumar R Gagnani convicted the operators for the sale of unsafe food under Section 3(1)(zz) and Section 59 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The laboratory analysis confirmed the use of banned oil-soluble dyes in their food products.
Case 1: GJ-3 Dosa Corner
Ravi Meghani, the owner of GJ-3 Dosa Corner in Ambika Township, was sentenced to six months of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 50,000. A sample of loose sambar was collected by food safety officer K J Sarvaiya on December 12, 2019, and tested at the Food and Drug Laboratory in Vadodara. The laboratory declared the food unsafe due to the presence of an impermissible oil-soluble color.
Case 2: Jay Dwarkadhish Hotel
Kanu Bambhava, owner of Jay Dwarkadhish Hotel on University Road, faced a similar fate. A sample of garlic-chilli chutney was collected by food safety officer C D Vaghela on November 23, 2021, and tested positive for illegal pink and orange oil-soluble dyes. The magistrate sentenced Bambhava to six months of rigorous imprisonment and fined him Rs 2 lakh.
These convictions highlight the strict enforcement of food safety regulations in Rajkot, aiming to deter the use of harmful additives in food. The court's decision underscores the importance of compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Act to protect public health.
