Moshi: Bakery products prepared next to illegal cattle slaughter site at Aksa Bakery

• Case exposed through vigilance of Sakal Hindu Samaj and devout Hindus 

• FDA orders permanent closure of bakery

Moshi (Pimpri-Chinchwad), Maharashtra – A serious, health-endangering activity ongoing for approximately five years at ‘Aksa Bakery’, located in Gat No. 454 in the Adarshnagar area, has been exposed. It is alleged that bakery products were being prepared in the same premises where illegal slaughter of cattle and sale of meat were being carried out.

On the night of 18 July, acting on information from local Hindu activists and ‘Sakal Hindu Samaj’, the police raided the premises. Subsequently, on 19 July, an inspection was conducted under the leadership of Food Safety Officer Prashant Shivraj Lohar of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). After serious food-safety irregularities were discovered in the bakery, an order was issued for the permanent closure of the establishment under Section 34 of the Food Safety and Standards Act. 

Serious irregularities revealed during the inspection

• Toast, muffins and other food items were being prepared in an extremely dirty and unhygienic environment.
• Cattle meat was being cut and sold immediately adjacent to the area where food was being prepared.
• These bakery products were supplied daily to more than 100 shops across Pimpri-Chinchwad city.
• Flies and insects were found on broken eggs, maida (refined flour), sugar and oil kept in the open.
• Food items contaminated with dirty water and pests were stored in a defective deep freezer.
• None of the ten employees handling food had undergone any health check-up; they were working without caps, gloves or aprons.
• No test reports concerning the quality of the water used in the bakery were available.
• No records of purchases, sales or pest control were found.