Don't paste stickers on fruits, C'garh FDA tells sellers

The Chhattisgarh Food and Drugs Administration has banned pasting of stickers on fruits in the state citing adverse effects on human health of the adhesive, an official said on Friday. The FDA urged sellers to desist from the practice and asked people not to buy such fruits, an official said, adding that the directive was issued on Thursday.

"Fruits like apple, mango, orange, guava, banana, custard apple, pear, and others have stickers on their surface. This is done to pass off the product as one of premium variety or to hide the damage. Any shopkeeper found storing and selling unsafe food products will be charged under section 59 of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006," he said.

"Chemicals used in these stickers can lead to product contamination and make it unsafe for human consumption. Under the FSSAI Act, traders and fruit sellers are not allowed to store, distribute or sell such fruits," the official said.

The FDA asked shopkeepers to not use items like wax, mineral oil, colors or carbide/acetylene gas to ripen fruits.