An inspection by the Food and Safety Department at a McDonald’s outlet located in Gaurav Tower, Malviya Nagar area of Jaipur, Rajasthan, on Monday (9th February) exposed a gross violation of food safety standards. During the inspection, the officials found overused cooking oil and rotten tomatoes in the storage.
Sushil Chotwani, a government food safety officer, said that 40 litres of repetitively used cooking oil were seized from the McDonald’s outlet, which is located in a major tourist hotspot. The food safety officials collected the samples for testing.
Officials said that several food items, such as French fries, were being deep-fried in the cooking oil that had turned dark and become unfit for consumption due to repetitive heating. On-site tests of oil samples revealed Total Polar Compounds (TPC) level in the oil ranged between 28% and 31%, exceeding the permissible standard limit of 25%. Consequently, the immediate disposal of the oil and the rotten tomatoes was ordered by the officials. A 14-day period has been granted by the officials to the McDonald’s outlet to ensure compliance with food safety standards. The department plans to examine more McDonald’s outlets.
According to Dainik Bhasker, the Food and Safety Department team also raided Madina Dairy & Bakers located in Chowkri Topkhana, Ghatgate area within the walled city, in a separate action. The officials found a huge stock of paneer, suspected of being adulterated and of substandard quality. Around 650 kgs of substandard paneer were destroyed, and samples were sent to the laboratory for further testing.
When the officials questioned the owner of Madina Dairy & Bakers, Mustafa Khan, he revealed that he had sourced the paneer Ramgarh in Alwar district at a rate of Rs 200 per kilogram. Khan reportedly admitted that the paneer was prepared using oil and milk powder. It was being sold in the market at the rate of ₹220 per kilogram or higher, depending on demand.
