Telangana Food Safety Body Suspends Sahil Foods' Licences, Seizes 55 Tonnes of Snacks
The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) has suspended the licences and registrations of four manufacturing units of Hyderabad-based Sahil Foods and seized 55 tonnes of mislabelled food products valued at Rs 33.94 lakh, after inspections uncovered multiple food safety and hygiene violations.
Enforcement teams made up of food safety officers and police personnel inspected five manufacturing units of the company at Premavatipet, near Kattedan, in the city's industrial area.
Sahil Foods manufactures packaged snacks and savouries, including namkeens, puffs, wheels, popcorn and other crunchy and spicy products. Its portfolio also includes items marketed as Chinese Bhel, Sev Samosa and Ulta Palta. The company states that it began operations in 2004 and has built a distribution network serving markets in India and overseas.
What the inspections found
According to TG SAFE, some of the food categories manufactured at the premises were not covered by the units' FSSAI licences, and there were deficiencies relating to transport licensing.
Officials reported that machinery used for snack production was dusty, smoky and unhygienic, while conveyors in the production area were clogged with food waste. Inadequate ventilation and improper storage of food articles directly on the floor were also recorded.
The inspection teams further found food waste littering the premises, synthetic food colours stored in untidy buckets, and some food handlers chewing gutka or pan masala while at work. Production and sales records had not been maintained, and the units could not produce shelf-life study records to support the three-month shelf life declared on packaged products. Records of food-product testing and water analysis were also unavailable.
Action taken
On the basis of these findings, TG SAFE suspended the licences and registrations of four of the five units inspected and directed them to stop business operations. Eleven samples of food products were collected for laboratory analysis on suspicion of adulteration. The seizure of stock and the collection of samples form part of the enforcement action.
The company has not issued a public statement on the action, based on available information.
Why this matters
Packaged snacks and savouries form a large and fast-growing segment of India's food market, and consumers rely on FSSAI licence numbers and labels for assurance on ingredients, shelf life and manufacturing conditions. Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, manufacturing, storage and sale of food require valid licences or registrations, and licensed operators are expected to maintain hygiene, traceability and testing records. Licence holders can appeal against such orders before the designated appellate authority under the law.
Earlier inspections
The action follows a similar drive in Hyderabad. TG SAFE inspected seven khoa and sweet manufacturing and retail units in the city on October 15 and detected multiple hygiene and food safety violations, including pest infestation, poor sanitation and improper food-handling practices. Eight samples were collected over suspected adulteration, and 2,480 kg of food products were seized or discarded.
Two establishments, Madhura Dairy Products in Cheeryal and Desi Dairy Sweets in Jalpally, were ordered to close for operating without FSSAI licences under unhygienic conditions. The FSSAI licences of Bhagya Laxmi Sweets and Burfi, Balaji Magic Mithai and Yashoda Dairy in Jeedimetla were suspended, with instructions to stop operations immediately. Show-cause notices were issued to three establishments, and further action, including penalties, was initiated.
The recent inspections indicate a widening enforcement drive by Telangana's food safety authority across both branded snack manufacturing and traditional dairy and sweet outlets in and around Hyderabad.
