In a major late-evening surveillance operation, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Goa, inspected 19 shops across Calangute and Baga to check for the sale of substandard and misbranded cashew nuts.
During the drive, 1 shop in Calangute and 7 shops in Baga were shut down. Vendors found selling substandard cashews were fined ₹50,000 each, while those selling misbranded cashews faced penalties of ₹20,000 each. Authorities have also launched a further inquiry to trace the source of the substandard stock.
In addition, three Mughlai restaurants at Baga Junction were closed and fined ₹20,000 each for violations of food safety norms.
The raid was led by Designated Officer (North Goa) Richard Noronha, supported by Senior Food Safety Officer Rajaram Patil, and Food Safety Officers Amit Mandrekar, Darlan Diukar, Pritam Parab, and Sujata Shetgaonkar, along with MTS staff Arjun Naik, Sandeep Shelke, and Pradeep Parsekar, under the supervision of FDA Director Shweta Dessai.
The FDA has reiterated that such inspections will continue regularly to ensure food safety compliance and protect consumer interests.