Juice vendors in Ahmedabad found using saccharin, banned colours

The flying squad of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, west zone's health department, on Monday conducted a surprise check on the vendors selling sugarcane juice and shikanji in Sabarmati area.

The raiding officials were surprised to find out that many vendors had added to the fruit juices they were selling locally-made artificial colours and saccharin which are not advised for normal human consumption.

"Saccharin is not recommended for everybody. We were surprised to find vendors using it. We fined them and warned them not to use it in future," an official said. The health officials also found that some of the vendors had used locally-made colours which did not mention either the manufacturing date or the expiry date.

The officials also found that many vendors of sugarcane juice had littered the surrounding place with sugarcane waste which had attracted flies. The juice vendors, whose stalls were not in hygienic condition, were fined. The officials also asked them to serve juice to customers in disposable glasses and not in glasses cleaned after use.

"We also asked them to use proper, transparent nets to display sliced fruits," said an official, adding that many vendors were selling sliced fruits in the open by the roadside where flies and vehicular dust are unavoidable.

The flying squad also targeted ice paani-puri vendors in Sabarmati area. "Many people gorge on ice paani-puri. Hence it is important to ensure that it is kept in hygienic condition," an official said. The raiding party also found rotten potatoes around the stalls. "One vendor who was serving paani-puri in unclean plates was fined heavily," an official said.

The vendors were also instructed to use standard dustbins provided by the civic body instead of the small, leaky dustbins which are responsible for much of the littering, the officials said.