In a bid to prevent food adulteration during this festive season, the UT Administration has initiated an intensive drive to check adulteration in food items in Chandigarh.
A team of the UT Food Safety & Standards Authority, UT Health Department has started the preventive checks in the city. An official of the UT Health Department on Monday said that in view of the approaching festive season, the UT Food Safety & Standards Authority and UT Health department have started the preventive checks in Chandigarh in order to ensure availability of quality sweetmeats.
The official informed that 70 kg of sweetmeats exposed to dust and flies were destroyed by the team after the raids being carried out on Monday. The team also seized samples of khoya and khoya made sweets from shops in Sector-37, Sector-8, village Khuda Jassu.
“The raids would continue during the festive season. The raids will be carried out to implement the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, in an effective way and to ensure that pure food items are being sold in the city’s market during the festive season,” added the official. As spurious khoya and desi ghee are supplied to the market during festive season, the administration is making efforts to ensure that unadulterated eatable items reach the city markets. The administration has also issued warning to shopkeepers and vendors to refrain from such activities. If any shopkeeper or vendor is found selling adulterated food, strict action will be taken against them under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and under Section 2 of the epidemic diseases Act 1897 (Central Act No.III of 1897).
UT Director Health Services, Dr Sunil Kumar Bhalla has directed all food business operators to maintain proper hygiene of their premises while preparing and selling of sweetmeats. last year, only three samples out of the collected 41 food samples by the UT Administration during festive season had failed the purity test. Adulterated Khoya, Patista, Ghee, milk products, Barfi were seized by the Department during raids conducted last year.