THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, May 4, 2014
Use of chemicals to ripen mangoes
Food safety officials have
launched State-wide inspection of godowns of wholesale fruit merchants
following complaints that mangoes from neighbouring States, which have
been artificially ripened using chemicals, are being brought into Kerala
in huge quantities. Squads led by Assistant Food Safety Commissioners
have been conducting inspections in all districts but no evidence of
chemicals used for ripening fruits was found.
However, in Ernakulam district,
in a joint raid conducted by the police and food safety officials, a
merchant who was found to be stocking calcium carbide was arrested
earlier and had been remanded by the court.
The officials have so far
collected and sent for testing 37 samples of mangoes brought from other
States, to determine if these had been sprayed with any chemicals.
So far, 69 wholesale fruit godowns have been inspected.
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