Fruit Vendors! Don’t dare to artificially ripe fruits in Goa

Panaji, April 9: We have seen many times good mouthwatering ripped fruits in the markets but sometimes they might harm our body rather than benefiting it because it may be artificially ripped. But this won’t work anymore in Goa as the fruit vendors have been warned to do so.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned of action if operators in the food business, especially those engaged in the trade of fruits, are found using chemicals to artificially ripen fruits.FDA will conduct special drives to check for use of such chemicals, and any vendor found guilty of using or in possession of these chemicals will be booked.

In a statement, FDA also said there were instances where agricultural chemicals like ethapone and etherel were being used to ripen mangoes and bananas artificially, which is a common practice during festivals due to the high demand.

FDA has also informed vendors and traders that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) permits artificial ripening of fruits using ethylene gas at a concentration of up to 100ppm depending on the crop, the variety, and maturity, through the use of ethylene gas chambers which are licensed/registered under the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006.