Rayagada: A routine inspection by Food Safety Department at Vishal Mega Mart, located at FCI Square in Rayagada, revealed serious violations, including the sale of expired food items.
The raid, conducted by a three-member team led by Food Safety Officer Jyoti Prakash Soren, resulted in a hefty fine of ₹1 lakh imposed on the retail store.
The investigation was triggered by a complaint from a local customer, Sangram Patnaik, who purchased goods worth ₹1,463 from the store on May 14. Among his purchases was a packet of bhujia, which he later discovered had an expiry date of May 12.
When Patnaik returned to the store with the packet and receipt, the store manager dismissed his complaint, claiming the expired packet was not from their stock and accusing him of bringing an old packet. This led to a heated argument, prompting Patnaik to alert the authorities.
Upon inspection, the Food Safety team found several expired items, including namkeen and pickles, on the store’s shelves.
Additionally, some food products were found to be improperly packaged. The offending items were seized and sent to a laboratory for further testing.
