Ahmedabad AMC seals 2 food units in festival season safety drive
Synopsis
With the festival season approaching, Ahmedabad's civic body has moved beyond routine checks — deploying rapid on-site kits to catch adulteration in real time. Two units are already sealed, and 22 have been inspected. The drive targets everything from fake silver foil on sweets to vegetable fat sold as pure ghee.
Key Takeaways
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has inspected 22 food units using rapid testing kits ahead of the festival season.
Two establishments have been sealed: a manufacturing unit in Bapunagar over non-silver foil on kaju katri, and a godown in Dariapur for lacking an FSSAI licence and poor hygiene.
Checks cover silver foil composition, prohibited colours, starch in khoya/mawa/paneer, vegetable fat in pure ghee products, and saffron authenticity.
Rapid-kit results are preliminary; confirmed violations require laboratory analysis before final legal action.
Operators without an FSSAI licence or violating food safety norms face action under the FSSAI Act and the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act .
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has ramped up food safety inspections across the city ahead of the festival season, deploying rapid testing kits to screen sweets, farsan, dairy products, and other consumables on-site. As of 25 August, the civic body's Food Department has inspected 22 food units and sealed two establishments after detecting violations.
How the Rapid-Testing Drive Works
The AMC's initiative uses rapid-kit tests as a preliminary screening tool, enabling inspectors to flag suspected adulteration without waiting for laboratory analysis. Checks cover a wide range of potential violations: the metal composition of silver foil on sweets, non-food-grade or prohibited colours, starch content in khoya and mawa, vegetable fat in products marketed as 'Pure Ghee', the authenticity of saffron, and starch in paneer and cheese. Farsan and namkeen are also being tested for unauthorised colour additives.
Two Units Sealed After Violations Found
During one inspection, a rapid test of kaju katri at Shri Kanhaiyalal Mavawala, near Kalupur Gate, indicated that the foil used on the sweet contained a metal other than silver. Investigators traced the batch to a manufacturing unit at 370/1976, Gujarat Housing Board, Bapunagar, Ahmedabad, which was subsequently sealed in the public interest.
In a separate action, the department sealed the godown of Shri Balaji Mavawala at Vadigam in Dariapur after finding the establishment was operating without a valid FSSAI licence and maintaining inadequate hygienic conditions.
What Happens After a Rapid Test Flags a Violation
The AMC has clarified that rapid-kit results are screening indicators, not conclusive proof of adulteration. Where a test raises a red flag, inspectors can take immediate precautionary action — including sealing — and collect samples for detailed examination at an authorised laboratory. Further legal proceedings will be determined by laboratory findings and applicable provisions of the FSSAI Act and the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act.
AMC's Warning to Food Business Operators
The civic body has directed sweet and farsan manufacturers, as well as dairy-product producers, to use only approved raw materials, permitted food colours, and ingredients conforming to prescribed standards. It has warned that businesses found operating without an FSSAI licence or in violation of food safety norms will face action under the relevant legal provisions. Inspections of sweet and farsan units are continuing across Ahmedabad through the festival season.
Point of View
But its durability is the real question. Rapid-kit testing is a smart operational choice — it compresses the detection-to-action window — yet without sustained post-festival follow-through, such drives risk becoming seasonal theatre. The two sealings also expose a structural gap: one unit lacked an FSSAI licence entirely, suggesting that basic registration compliance remains uneven in Ahmedabad's dense food-manufacturing clusters. A city of Ahmedabad's scale inspecting just 22 units at this stage points to resource constraints that a single pre-festival push cannot resolve.
NationPress
25 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has the AMC intensified food safety checks in Ahmedabad?
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has stepped up inspections ahead of the festival season, when demand for sweets, farsan, and dairy products spikes and the risk of adulteration typically rises. The drive uses rapid on-site testing kits to screen products without waiting for laboratory results.
Which establishments were sealed and why?
Two units were sealed: a manufacturing facility in Bapunagar, after a rapid test found that foil on kaju katri contained a metal other than silver, and a godown in Dariapur belonging to Shri Balaji Mavawala, for operating without an FSSAI licence and maintaining poor hygienic conditions.
What items are being tested during the AMC food safety drive?
Inspectors are testing silver foil on sweets, non-food-grade colours, starch in khoya and mawa, vegetable fat in products sold as pure ghee, saffron authenticity, and starch in paneer and cheese. Farsan and namkeen are also checked for unauthorised colour additives.
Are rapid-kit test results enough to prosecute a food business?
No. The AMC has clarified that rapid-kit results are preliminary screening indicators. Where a violation is suspected, samples are collected and sent to an authorised laboratory; final legal action is based on those laboratory findings and applicable provisions of the FSSAI Act.
What action can food businesses face for violations?
Establishments found operating without an FSSAI licence or violating food safety standards face action under the FSSAI Act and the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act. The AMC has warned all food business operators to use only approved raw materials and permitted food colours.
