Adulterated tea was seized from a tea shop in Kotagiri by officials from the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department on Tuesday.
The officials checked the quality of tea being used at tea stalls near the Kotagiri bus stand, as well as if the shops were using banned plastic packaging material or were selling snacks that had been stored past the expiry date.
During the inspection, it was found that one tea stall owner was using adulterants in the tea and the officials fined the owner ₹ 10,000 for the violation. The officials said they had received information that people were adulterating tea and selling it to tea stall owners in Coonoor and Kotagiri.
The Food Safety and Drug Administration Department also urged the public to inform them about any shops contravening the Food Safety and Standards Act, including adulteration and for selling food products that had been stored past the expiry date specified in the packaging.
Awareness boards had been kept across the district with phone number through which officials from the department can be contacted via mobile messaging application, WhatsApp. The department can be contacted at 94440-42322, the officials said.
J. Thanga Vignesh, Designated Officer, Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, the Nilgiris, was present during the inspection in Kotagiri.
