Expired food products flood markets in Vizag

VISAKHAPATNAM: Expired wheat flour packets, milk packets and cool drinks are flooding the markets of Vizag city, putting the lives of denizens at stake. A raid by Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) officials on several city-based agencies has brought to light the illegal business being done by some miscreants.

The agency which has bagged the contract for supplying food material to several government-run hostels and even temples, had been providing expired products. Students in many BC/SC welfare hostels in the district have been consuming food prepared with the expired products. Even many temples including

Simhachalam Devasthanam receive some of the expired food supplies from this agency. The Vigilance officials have found that expired wheat flour packets are repackaged and released in the market.
“The private agency at Madhavadhara area sends its expired wheat flour products to another agency at Sivajipalem. The traders at Sivajipalem repackage the expired wheat flour packets by changing the brand name, date of packing and expiry date, and release the products again in the market,” said Malikarjuna Rao, V&E Inspector, Visakhapatnam.

Similarly, expired cool drink bottles and milk packets are also being supplied. “As the products arrive in bulk quantity, the hostel authorities barely check them. Several BC/SC welfare hostels in the district receive the products from the same agency,” said Vigilance department SI Ramesh.

Repackaging expired food
The private agency at Madhavadhara area was earlier booked for supplying expired products in August 2017
The agency which has bagged the contract for supplying food material to several government-run hostels and even temples, had been providing expired products
The V&E officials seized more than 17,000 expired wheat flour packets, large number of expired milk packets and cool drink bottles in a surprise raid on the private agency on Friday