Mumbai: Choose the right shops to buy sweets during festival: FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has renewed its drive against adulteration in sweets and it has cautioned citizens to be careful when purchasing and consuming sweets during the Ganesh festival that kicks off next week.

“During the festivities, people consume tempting milk-based sweets without checking if the ingredients used, like khoya, ghee and oil, are pure,” said Suresh Annapure, joint commissioner (food), FDA. “Besides this, adulteration of grains, tea, sugar, rawa is also rampant at grocery shops.

So if consumers suspect adulteration of food items they should lodge their complaints with the FDA through out interactive voice response system.”

The authority announced on Monday that four vigilance squads headed by food safety officers had been constituted to check samples of khoya at major railway stations (Kurla Junction, Mumbai Central, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Bandra Terminus) as it has been found in the past that adulterated khoya is brought in to the city from outside Maharashtra.

“On-the-spot testing of ingredients and sweets is underway in the continuing action initiated by the FDA. The food inspectors are also conducting valuation of khoya based on the price of milk and the amount of fuel and labour used to prepare it. If shopkeepers sell khoya or khoya-based sweets at a price lower than this valuation, they will be continually on the FDA’s radar for suspected malpractices,” Annapure said.