Food Safety Officials Raid 8 Shops in Peravurani, Impose Rs 20,000 Fines

Officials from the Tamil Nadu Food Safety Department conducted raids across eight commercial establishments in Peravurani, Thanjavur district, on Friday to enforce statutory hygiene and food safety standards. Substandard fruits were seized and destroyed during the operation, and authorities levied fines totalling Rs 20,000 on non-compliant vendors.

The inspections were carried out following orders from Thanjavur District Collector R. Revathi and District Nominated Officer for Food Safety Dr. Vijayalalithambigai. A team of department officials inspected several businesses across the area, including tea shops, fruit stalls, and vegetarian and non-vegetarian hotels.

During the drive, inspectors confiscated poor-quality produce and destroyed it. The team also penalised a shop that was operating without obtaining a mandatory registration certificate from the Food Safety Department, slapping a fine of Rs 10,000 on the establishment.

Authorities also cracked down on the use of prohibited packaging materials. Two tea stalls found using banned single-use plastic bags were fined Rs 5,000 each by the inspecting team.

Food safety officials issued instructions to traders regarding safe procurement and storage, particularly for meat and chicken used in non-vegetarian eateries. Officials told vendors to maintain valid purchase receipts for all raw materials and ensure strict hygienic practices during food preparation and serving.

The department also cautioned hoteliers and stall owners against reusing cooking oil or mixing discarded oil with fresh batches. Officials created awareness among local traders regarding the Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO) initiative to prevent degraded cooking oil from re-entering the commercial market.