Popsicle maker licks ice before packaging in Kozhikode, shop registration suspended

Kozhikode: A video of a popsicle maker tasting each stick before packing has gone viral, prompting swift action from authorities. Following public outrage over the unhygienic practice, the food safety wing of the Koduvally circle suspended the shop's registration and submitted a report to the Assistant Food Safety Commissioner, Kozhikode, for further action.

The incident took place at Ice Me, a popsicle shop located at Elettil Vattoli in Kizhakkothu panchayat, near Koduvally. A customer filmed a video showing Rasheed, the popsicle maker from Ambalapparambil in Choolam Vayal, Kunnamangalam, tasting each ice stick before packing it.

Upon noticing the video, Koduvally police locked the shop and referred the matter to the food safety and health departments. Subsequently, Food Safety Officer Anees Rehman and Junior Health Inspector PM Vinod conducted an inspection at the establishment. Samples of flavoured ice were collected from the shop and sent to the Regional Analytical Laboratory in Malapparamba, Kozhikode, for testing.

"We have recommended follow-up action to the Assistant Food Safety Commissioner," said Rehman. "The shop operator claimed the ice sticks were prepared for his family, as the machinery had been idle for months, and that he was checking their quality. However, the shop was operating in unhygienic conditions, leading to its closure."

Junior Health Inspector Vinod added, "The ice-making unit and its retail outlet had been non-operational for months. The reason behind such an action by the maker remains unclear." Authorities await the lab report to determine further steps against the shop and its operator.