VASCO
The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) seized 1,780 kg of boneless raw chicken from a cold storage unit in Verna on Tuesday, taking the total quantity seized in three major operations across South Goa in about 18 days to 5,350 kg.
The latest seizure followed a complaint and investigation into the transportation of chicken consignments into Goa. FDA officials found multiple labelling violations, including missing manufacturing and expiry dates, FSSAI licence numbers and transporter details. The entire stock will be destroyed.
An FDA official said the department had initially raided a chicken consignment that arrived by train at Margao railway station and collected samples for laboratory testing. The results are awaited.
“After we started conducting raids on chicken consignments arriving by train, the brokers involved in this trade became alert and started transporting the stock by road. We subsequently received information about the movement of such consignments and conducted a raid at the cold storage unit in Verna,” the official said.
The official expressed concern that the seized stock may have been stored since July, raising questions about its freshness and suitability for consumption.
“These stocks may have been dumped in July and the decaying process may have already begun, making the chicken unfit for consumption,” the official said.
Earlier, on October 24, the FDA destroyed 1,470 kg of chicken worth around Rs 3.67 lakh seized during inspections in Margao and Navelim. The consignments were allegedly transported without proper storage, temperature control and mandatory labelling.
On November 6, authorities and local poultry groups intercepted two consignments weighing around 2.1 tonnes and valued at Rs 4.20 lakh at Margao railway station. The chicken, transported from Delhi, was subsequently destroyed by the FDA.
