Food safety officials check for use of mayonnaise in Perundurai

Tamil Nadu officials inspect non-vegetarian outlets for banned mayonnaise, raise awareness on food safety measures and impose fines.

Officials from the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department inspected non-vegetarian and fast-food outlets in Perundurai town on Tuesday to check for the use of mayonnaise recently banned by the State government.

The government has prohibited the manufacture, storage, and sale of mayonnaise made from raw eggs for a period of one year, effective from April 8. In line with this, a team led by M. Muthukrishnan, Food Safety Officer of Perundurai Block, inspected 30 non-vegetarian restaurants, fast-food outlets, and eateries selling fast food. Establishments located in the town area, along Bypass Road, and near the Vijayamangalam toll gate—where items like tandoori chicken and grilled chicken are sold—were checked.

The team also interacted with customers at the restaurants to determine if mayonnaise was being served and raised awareness about the health risks associated with consuming mayonnaise made from raw eggs.

Restaurant owners were instructed to use only vegetarian mayonnaise and to ensure that non-vegetarian dishes such as shawarma, grilled chicken, and tandoori chicken are thoroughly cooked and sold within four hours. They were also advised not to reuse cooked meat stored in freezers.

Additional instructions included banning the use of plastic covers and carry bags for food packaging and discouraging the use of newspapers to serve fried snacks such as vadai, bonda, and bajji.

The team imposed a fine of ₹3,000 on a bakery owner for serving food in newspapers and using banned carry bags. Another fine of ₹2,000 was levied on a restaurant owner for packing and selling food in banned plastic covers.

The public has been urged to report usage of banned mayonnaise or tobacco products apart from other food safety concerns by calling 94440 42322.