Part of Ponda store closed after FDA finds rat droppings in grains

Ponda: The directorate of food and drugs administration (FDA) on Monday shut the food section of a Ponda grocery store after officers found rat droppings in food grains. They also found that the staff handling the section did not possess sanitary cards.
The FDA’s food safety officers have collected samples of nine grocery items and have given the operators concerned seven days to comply with the issue they issued.
Senior food safety officer Shivdas Naik, who led the raid, said the store’s food section would be allowed to reopen only after they are satisfied that its operators have complied with the notice.
Naik said that apart from finding rat droppings in some grains, they also noticed movements of rodents. He said that action followed after they came across information on social media platforms that the rats were roaming freely inside the store.
Naik said sanitary cards are essential to check the spread of contagious diseases. If an employee handling the food section has a contagious infection, it could spread to others.
Food safety officers Atmaram Naik and Abhishek Naik assisted Shivdas Naik in conducting the raid.
While the FDA officers were conducting the raid, Ponda health officer Dr Smita Parsekar also inspected the food section of the store. Parsekar said she has issued them a notice of seven days to take the necessary measures to prevent any irregularities in the future.