Food adulteration is a major problem in India, something which endangers public health seriously. In one such major adulteration bust, police in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras have unearthed a spice manufacturing unit which used to make spurious and counterfeit spices of local brands using donkey dung, hay and acid.
The case came to light on Monday when Hathras police raided a factory after receiving a tip-off and found more than 300 kg of counterfeit spices. The factory owner named Anoop Varshney has been arrested and the factory itself has now been sealed, Times of India reported.
As many as 27 samples from the factory have been sent to the laboratories for testing and a case will be filed against the owner under the Food Safety and Standards Act if test results are confirmed.
Joint magistrate Prem Prakash Meena said, “We have seized over 300 kg of fake spices being packed in names of some local brands.”
Varshney has now been remanded to judicial custody under section 151 of the CrPC (arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences).
Recently, an investigation conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found rampant adulteration in honey sold by major Indian brands including Dabur, Patanjali, and Emami. The CSE investigation also said many of these companies in the honey business were importing synthetic sugar syrups from China to adulterate honey.
