Nov 10, 2012

Adulterated sweets keep food inspectors on toes

Unchecked supply of adulterated sweets during the Diwali festival has put Food and Civil Supply Department on its toes. To curb supply of adulterated sweet stuffs the department has asked districts officials to start a drive and collect samples from shops.
Confectioners of city have already started stocking dry sweets with preservatives giving an excuse that it is the only way to store special sweets brought from Kolkata and Delhi.
Jharkhand Director-in-Chief (Food) TP Burnawal said, “Inspection is going on and food safety officers are collecting samples every day. These samples will be tested in the Food Testing Laboratory. Strict actions will be taken those who will be found guilty.”
The Food and Drugs Testing Laboratory which was virtually defunct for more than two years is also functional now. In Ranchi there are only three food inspectors to check the food quality of more than 3000 registered hotels and restaurants here. Officials of Health Department are also keeping an eye on shopkeepers and agents dealing in adulterated food stuffs.
According to the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006, a person selling or producing adulterated food can be fined up to Rs 10 lakh. The punishment ranges between imprisonments of three months to life.
Nitin Churuwala, owner of Churuwala Inn, “To elevate profits confectioners do deliberately mix adulterants and spurious maawa. Buyers can themselves recognise artificial sweets. There are some easy ways to identify adulterated sweets like the silver coating done on ladoos and barfis will not stick to fingers if they are silver and if it sticks the coating is of aluminum.”
“The trend of gifting sweets is now changing. People prefer dry fruits and chocolates over sweets,” added Churuwala.
Not only dry fruits and chocolates, the malpractice has brought traditional sweets like baalushahi, chandrakala and besan ladoo in bad taste.
Darshana Gulati, a homemaker said, “Milk is being sold at Rs 35 per liter, how can a shopkeeper sell cheese at the rate of Rs 100 per kg? I prefer making shakkar para and gujiya at home rather than buying sweets from market.”

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