3k-kg artificially ripened mangoes destroyed

Trichy: The food safety department has seized and destroyed around 3,000kg of artificially ripened mangoes in Trichy. Two samples of confiscated mangoes were sent to a lab in Coimbatore for quality analysis and to initiate legal actions against the sellers.
Based on a tip-off from the public that poor quality mangoes were sold in the Gandhi Market area, the department carried out simultaneous inspection in wholesale godowns and shops on Nelpettai Road on Saturday night.Three shops — MMY, RAN, and Selvi wholesale dealers — were found to have used ethylene to speed up the ripening of mangoes.
“We found sprayer bottles and chemicals that were used for illegal ripening. Through the banned process, mangoes will appear ripened within 48 hours. Once ethylene mixed with water is sprayed on fruits, vendors would cover them in newspapers and dispatch them for sales,” R Ramesh Babu, district food safety officer, said.
The seized mangoes were destroyed at Ariyamangalam dump yard
Officials said wholesale vendors used chemicals to artificially ripen mangoes to meet the demand as the yield is poor this season. Consumption of such substandard mangoes would lead to ailments including dysentery and stomach inflammation, Ramesh Babu said.
Consumers in Trichy district can lodge complaints about artificial ripening of mangoes and other food safety violations by contacting 96268-39595. “We would protect the identity of the complainant and take action against the offenders within 24 hours of the complaint,” the officer added.