FSSAI seizes 21 kg of banned tobacco products near Avinashi

Officials from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) seized nearly 21 kg of banned tobacco products from various shops near Avinashi in Tiruppur district on Friday.

A release said FSSAI’s Designated Officer B. Vijayalalithambigai led the team that inspected the shops on Puliampatti Road in Cheyur from 7.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday. The officials seized the packets containing banned tobacco products from two kiosks, a mobile phone repair shop and a store room. Following this, the FSSAI officials levied a fine of ₹5,000 each on four persons, who allegedly stored the banned tobacco products, as per provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the release said.

Ms. Vijayalalithambigai said on Saturday that the FSSAI had intensified monitoring across Tiruppur district regarding the sale of banned tobacco products and that any food business operator found with these would be sealed through an ‘emergency prohibition order’ as per the Food Safety and Standards Act.

“Of late, we have observed that the sale of these banned tobacco products have declined across the district,” she said. Amid regular inspections by the police as well as the FSSAI, shops were found purchasing these tobacco products from neighbouring States only in small quantities and were not hoarding large quantities in godowns, she added.