The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) in Lucknow has initiated recovery proceedings against 25 food business operators who failed to pay court-imposed penalties despite adverse rulings, officials said on Thursday.
Event Context
The action follows enforcement drives conducted by the FSDA over the past few years, during which food samples collected from various establishments were found to be substandard or in violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Food Safety and Standards Rules and Regulations, 2011. Cases were subsequently filed before the competent court, and the adjudicating officer-cum-additional district magistrate (east), Lucknow, imposed monetary penalties on the erring food business operators.
However, as the fines remained unpaid even after the court orders, the adjudicating authority has now issued recovery certificates against all 25 defaulters to recover the dues.
Player Focus
Assistant commissioner (FSDA) VP Singh said, “The violations cover a wide range of food products, including milk, curd, paneer, peda, frozen desserts, raisins, cashew nuts, mustard oil, flour, buckwheat flour, chikki, ice cream mix and pulses. Several dairy products were found to contain lower-than-prescribed milk fat or solids-not-fat (SNF), while sweets such as peda tested positive for starch adulteration.”
The inspection also uncovered widespread violations of packaging and labelling norms. Several packaged food products lacked mandatory information such as the manufacturer’s name, batch number, packing date, expiry or use-by date, making them non-compliant with food safety regulations. Among the businesses facing recovery proceedings are local dairy and sweet shops, food manufacturers, retailers and nominees of major e-commerce-linked food distribution firms operating from Lucknow.
Match Outlook
The total unpaid amount stands at ₹6.8 lakh. Authorities warned that continued non-compliance could lead to the suspension of food licences and closure of business operations.
The FSDA warned that if the penalties were not deposited even after the issuance of recovery certificates, the department would invoke Section 96 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, empowering it to suspend the food licences of the defaulting establishments. Once suspended, the businesses will be barred from carrying out any food-related operations until further orders, officials said.
