Surprise raids in Tirupati expose stale seafood

TIRUPATI: Several complaints to the District Consumer Information Centre about shops selling old fish, meat, and poor-quality seafood led to surprise inspections in the Leela Mahal Circle area in Tirupati on Sunday.

Food Safety Inspector Maddileti, Weights and Measures Inspector Prasad, and District Consumers’ Association President P Raja Reddy inspected multiple shops. They found that some shops were storing rotten fish for many days and rubbing them with blood to make them appear fresh.

In another shop, Apollo fish, prawns, and other seafood packets kept in a deep freezer were found with fungus. Cases were filed against the shops by the Food Safety Inspector.

Many packaged meat and seafood items did not have mandatory labels such as supplier address, packing date, usage period, weight, and price. Inspector Prasad imposed fines on the spot for these violations and warned that strict action would follow if such practices continued.