Team Goemkarponn
CALANGUTE/BAGA: The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on Tuesday evening carried out a major surveillance drive in the popular tourist belts of Calangute and Baga, sealing several shops and restaurants for selling substandard products and violating food safety norms.
During the inspection, the team checked nine shops in Calangute and ten in Baga. One shop in Calangute was sealed for selling substandard cashew nuts, while seven shops in Baga were ordered shut pending further inquiry. Heavy fines of ₹50,000 were imposed on vendors found selling substandard cashew and ₹20,000 on those selling misbranded cashew. Officials said investigations have been launched to trace the source of such cashews.
The drive also extended to the hospitality sector, where three restaurants serving Mughlai cuisine near Baga junction were sealed and fined ₹20,000 each for food safety violations.
The inspection team was led by Designated Officer (North Goa) Richard Noronha, Senior Food Safety Officer Rajaram Patil, and Food Safety Officers Amit Mandrekar, Darlan Diukar, Pritam Parab, and Sujata Shetgaonkar, assisted by MTS staff Arjun Naik, Sandeep Shelke, and Pradeep Parsekar. The operation was conducted under the guidance of FDA Director Shweta Dessai.
