Cuttack: Revelations of food adulteration, this time targeting livestock, has once again rocked Cuttack district.
After recent concerns over fake paneer, authorities have uncovered a large-scale operation producing counterfeit cattle feed in Jagatpur industrial area.
Police raided a facility named Sri Ambika Fodder Industries after receiving a tip-off. Investigators found that the factory was selling fake cattle feed under the brand Akash Gold, mixing saw dust with husk and packaging it as genuine product.
The factory owner, Shubham Gupta, was arrested, and the premises were sealed. Officers seized hundreds of bags of adulterated feed, along with logos, machinery, and other equipment. Samples have been sent to a laboratory for testing.
The raid followed a complaint from Akash Agrawal, director of Akash Food Product Pvt. Ltd, who alerted police that his company’s brand name was being misused.
Zone-1 ACP Arun Swain confirmed the operation, stating that large quantities of fake feed were recovered and that the counterfeit trade was causing significant losses to the legitimate company. He added that other materials were also being produced at the site, all of which have been confiscated for examination.
Authorities emphasized that adulteration is not limited to human food but is increasingly affecting animal feed as well, raising serious concerns about food quality and safety.
ACP Swain noted that repeated incidents in Jagatpur highlight the urgent need for stricter enforcement, and assured that efforts are underway to curb such practices immediately.
