PATNA, Sept. 21 -- Bihar's health department intensified its crackdown on unsafe food on Saturday, conducting surprise inspections and collecting over 591 samples for tests in Patna, Nalanda, Siwan, Gopalganj and several other districts as part of an ongoing statewide food safety enforcement drive this month, officials said. In Patna, teams inspected food establishments and collected samples of edible oil and beverages for laboratory testing. Notices were issued and legal action was initiated against establishments where adulterated or suspected food products were found. The health department, in its statement on Saturday, however, did not reveal the names of the establishments its teams raided or where adulterated or suspected food products were found In Siwan and Gopalganj, samples collected on September 18 and 19 were sent to the Combined Food and Drug Laboratory at Patna's Agamkuan locality. The inspections also covered milk and dairy products, spices, grains and pulses, bakery products, beverages and other food categories. In Nalanda, samples of turmeric powder, moong and biscuits were collected. Food businesses were directed to prominently display valid Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licences or registrations, follow the first in, first out (FIFO) practices and keep food covered and safely stored. Similar inspections were carried out in Arwal, Begusarai, Gaya and Katihar. The latest action came a day after officials reported that more than 591 food samples had been collected across Bihar and sent for tests during the special campaign launched around September 10, officials said. The September 18 inspections led to the seizure and destruction of about 105kg of suspected paneer, 18kg of chhena, 12kg of peda and 27kg of expired sonpapdi in Vaishali and West Champaran. Around 72kg of spoiled paneer was destroyed in the Sultanganj area of Bhagalpur. The crackdown has been building steadily since the beginning of September. On September 16, teams destroyed expired and contaminated products, including 18kg of adulterated paneer in Samastipur, about 105kg of contaminated paneer and spoiled chhena and sweets in Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi and Sheohar, and expired products in several other districts. In Bihta, following reports of people being affected after consuming food, legal samples of rice, flour, chilli powder, panchphoran and spices were collected for laboratory examination. By then, more than 543 samples had been collected. The enforcement drive follows a September 9 review meeting chaired by Bihar's health secretary-cum-food safety commissioner Kumar Ravi, who directed officials to move beyond paperwork and conduct regular inspections and enforcement. He also ordered mandatory online reporting of inspections and action through FoSCoS, officials said....