Beware! Sweets may leave bitter taste

Ludhiana, October 16
Try to avoid temptation for sweets this festive season as they could be adulterated. Sweetmakers and confectioners are busy preparing sweets in advance to meet the demand. With such heavy demand during the festive season, adulterated sweets are sold in bulk in the market.

Though the district health department has started collecting samples, but the drive is yet to pick up pace. Talking to The Tribune, district health officer Dr Kulwinder Singh said: “Collecting samples of eatables is an ongoing process. Yesterday, we collected samples of eight eatables, including sweets, and today we collected seven samples from Khanna.”

It has been observed that till the time the report of samples is out, adulterated sweets have been sold out. All samples are sent for testing at the food laboratory, Chandigarh. This means that eatables, especially sweets, are sold even if they fail purity test.

The district health officer said: “People should avoid buying sweets and other eatables from shops that have the history of selling adulterated stuff. As the festival season has started, the health department will start a campaign to collect samples.”

Set up testing lab in city

}We have alerted the sweetsmakers. I wish that all are using good quality khoya. About a month ago, the National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, held a training programme for sweetsmakers at the CIPHET. We were taught techniques of testing sweets. We have urged them to set up a laboratory in the city so that all sweetsmakers and customers can test the purity of eatables.

Narinder Pal Singh, president, Halwai Association

Penalty under Food Safety and Standards Act

• Misbranded: Up to Rs 2 lakh
• Sub-standard: Up to Rs 3 lakh
• Food not of the nature or quality demanded: Up to Rs 5 lakh
• Misleading advertisement: Up to Rs 10 lakh
• Food containing extraneous matter: Up to Rs 1 lakh
• Not complying with directions of the food safety officer: Up to Rs 2 lakh
• Unhygienic and unsanitary processing or manufacturing of food: Rs 1 lakh

Samples that failed quality test in 2011

Mustard oil and cheeni ke khilone: Mander Karyana Store, Issaru

Khoya burfi: Aujla Sweets Shop

Packaged drinking water: Sunil Cold Drink, Haibowal Kalan

Sweets: Super Lovely Sweets, Lakkar Bazaar

Patisa: Shyam Lal Sweets, Dashmesh Nagar

Rasgulla: Sharma Sweets, Focal Point, Sherpur

Petha: Bhure Lal factory

Mustard oil: Calcutta Karyana Store, Pakhowal

Daal masur: Mohini Karyana Store, Kochhar Market

Pickle: Godowns in Udo Ram Dera Karabara and Dera Bazigar

How to differentiate

Ravinder Garg said: “It’s difficult for a common man to differentiate between pure and adulterated sweets. As far as khoya is concerned, a layman can check it by taking a small piece of sweet and rub it with fingers. If the fingers gets laced with ghee, it means it is pure and if gives the look of vermicelli, it means it is impure." Keep sweets with silver foil in oven. If it burns, it is aluminium.