Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Apr 21:

Taking serious note of media reports on the alleged sale of 'plastic eggs' in markets in the state capital, the Odisha government today ordered a probe.

Health & Family Welfare Minister Pradip Amat directed State Food Safety Commissioner to collect samples of the alleged 'plastic eggs' and get those tested.

Amat also asked the Food Safety Commissioner to collect samples of eggs available in the market and get those tested for their quality.

“Media reports on the alleged sale of 'plastic eggs' in the market have come to our notice. Food Safety Commissioner has been directed to check the veracity of such reports and obtain samples from the market and the government is already working on it,” informed Health & Family Welfare Minister Pradip Amat talking to reporters on the matter.

Replying to queries from reporters on when the probe report would be available Amat said: “Orders have been issued to immediately conduct a probe after collecting samples.”

It may be noted here that reports of 'Chinese fake eggs' or `plastic eggs' had first surfaced in Kerala in October 2016.

A regional TV news channel had claimed to have exposed sale of such eggs in Idukki district bordering Tamil Nadu.

It was followed by a series of videos by consumers on YouTube, who claimed that eggs they bought were hard to crack and omelettes made from those were hard and rubbery.

Similar complaints were received from West Bengal and other parts of the country in the following months.

So far, no test has shown any plastic content in the egg samples collected.