Food Safety Department specifies dos and don’ts while buying watermelons

Exercise caution while buying watermelons to avoid chemicals; officials confiscate and destroy deficient watermelons in raids.

The Food Safety Department has urged the public to exercise caution while buying watermelons, to rule out presence of chemicals.

As part of its drive against sale of watermelons infused with artificial colours and rotten ones, officials carried out raids at the selling points on Thursday and Friday.

A day after confiscating 1,100 kg watermelon with deficiencies and destroying them at joints along Mangalam and Palladam Road, officials on Friday conducted checks at Thennampalayam Market.

A team of officials led by Designated Officer for Food Safety and Drug Administration Vijayalalithambigai, confiscated about 60 kg watermelons that did not measure up to the quality standards.

While no case of mixing of artificial colour was detected, watermelons with visible external damages were confiscated and destroyed, Ms. Vijayalalithambigai said.

In any case, it was advisable for the consumers to determine the quality by themselves by putting chopped pieces of melons inside a glass tumbler. The artificial colours get separated when in water.

Else white paper or tissue paper could be rubbed on the surface of the chopped water melons, and rule out presence of chemicals if the colours do not stick to the papers.