BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 29th July 2025: In a sweeping crackdown on the smuggling of unauthorized food items, authorities in Tripura’s Dhalai district seized a large quantity of illegally imported packaged food products from two school canteens and nearby shops in the Lalchhari area.
The joint operation was conducted on July 28, targeting foreign-origin snacks being sold to schoolchildren without regulatory approval.A press release issued by the Tripura Health Department on Tuesday revealed that the raid was carried out following intelligence inputs from confidential sources.
The operation was led by Bijay Bhattacharya, Food Safety Officer of Ambassa District Health Department, and Zueb Betu, Inspector of the Food Department under Ambassa Sub-division.
The enforcement team raided St. Arnold School and St. John’s School, uncovering a wide range of Myanmar-packaged snacks including dried fish fry, fried chicken, chocolates, and other items popular with children. These products, officials stated, were not only smuggled into the state but were also being sold without meeting basic food safety standards.
“The seized items lacked crucial labeling details—such as manufacturing and expiry dates, FSSAI license numbers, pricing, and even product names—making them completely untraceable and highly unsafe for consumption,” the statement noted.
Authorities have cited serious health concerns, particularly for school-going children, as the items were being distributed without any form of safety clearance or government approval. The confiscated products have been booked under Section 27 and Section 52 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and will be destroyed in accordance with official protocol.
Show-cause notices are being served to the school canteens and shopkeepers involved, and further legal proceedings—including penalties and prosecution—are likely to follow. Officials also confirmed that the role of school management in allowing the sale of such products will be thoroughly investigated.
Preliminary findings indicate that the contraband food items entered Tripura through the Damchara border in North Tripura and were funneled into local markets across the region.
In light of the incident, the district administration has vowed to intensify monitoring mechanisms in schools and commercial food outlets to prevent the recurrence of such violations.
The Health and Food Departments have also issued a public advisory urging consumers to exercise caution and check for key product information—expiry date, manufacturer name, FSSAI license number, and price—before purchasing any packaged food item.
