PUNE: Officials of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have drawn over 100 samples of sweets and milk products such as khoya, besides other ingredients used in making sweets such as rawa, maida and other flours between October 24 and November 2 to check for adulteration during the Diwali festival.
The officials also seized ghee, vanaspati (hydrogented vegetable oil) and edible oil worth Rs 3.85 lakh, suspecting they were adulterated, during this period.
"We have drawn a total of 117 samples of sweets containing silver foil, khoya, chocolate and ingredients such as rawa, maida, besan and vegetable oil, that are commonly used to make homemade sweets during Diwali. We have sent the samples for testing to the State Public Health Laboratory. The reports are awaited," said Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune.
Officials said the checks were important as adulteration can cause serious health problems. Presence of harmful starch, urea-mixed milk, caustic soda, artificial sweetening chemicals, non-approved colored sweets (such as heavy metals incorporated malachite green) and unhygienic conditions in the kitchen can cause acute gastritis, serious diarrhoea, dysentery, dehydration and kidney inflammation. Silver foil ('varakh') used for decorating sweets and tobacco is not always silver foil, but could also be aluminum, the consumption of which can pose serious health problems.
"We have drawn total 27 samples of sweets containing silver foil and eight samples of silver foil only to rule out adulteration," said Dilip Sangat, assistant commissioner (food), FDA, Pune
According to the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, silver foil should be 99.9% pure to be used in edible form. Aluminium foil is whitish gray and is readily soluble in concentrated hydrochloric acid while silver foil is not. "Knowing this simple thing can avert unhealthy impact on body," an official said.
Test your food
* Ghee or butter: Vanaspati, if adulterated, would turn red when sugar and hydrochloric acid is mixed with it
* Edible oil: If adulterated with argemone oil, it will turn red when treated with nitric acid
* 'Pithi' sugar: Adulteration with washing soda can be detected if there is effervescence when a few drops of hydrochloric acid is added to it
* Honey: A cotton wick dipped in pure honey would burn when lit with a match stick. If adulterated with sugar solution, the presence of water will not let it burn. If it does, it will produce a cracking sound
* Silver foil: Aluminium foil is whitish gray in colour and is readily soluble in concentrated hydrochloric acid while pure silver foil is not
Protection from adulteration
The Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 makes adulteration punishable by fine and imprisonment. In Maharashtra, food safety officials collect samples of various foods from time to time. These are analysed in government public health laboratories. If the samples are found to be adulterated, legal action is taken against the vendors
Dial FDA
Consumers who suspect that a food article is adulterated, can inform the assistant commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, in their area who will at once look into their complaint. For assistance, call FDA office on 020-24470276
The officials also seized ghee, vanaspati (hydrogented vegetable oil) and edible oil worth Rs 3.85 lakh, suspecting they were adulterated, during this period.
"We have drawn a total of 117 samples of sweets containing silver foil, khoya, chocolate and ingredients such as rawa, maida, besan and vegetable oil, that are commonly used to make homemade sweets during Diwali. We have sent the samples for testing to the State Public Health Laboratory. The reports are awaited," said Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune.
Officials said the checks were important as adulteration can cause serious health problems. Presence of harmful starch, urea-mixed milk, caustic soda, artificial sweetening chemicals, non-approved colored sweets (such as heavy metals incorporated malachite green) and unhygienic conditions in the kitchen can cause acute gastritis, serious diarrhoea, dysentery, dehydration and kidney inflammation. Silver foil ('varakh') used for decorating sweets and tobacco is not always silver foil, but could also be aluminum, the consumption of which can pose serious health problems.
"We have drawn total 27 samples of sweets containing silver foil and eight samples of silver foil only to rule out adulteration," said Dilip Sangat, assistant commissioner (food), FDA, Pune
According to the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, silver foil should be 99.9% pure to be used in edible form. Aluminium foil is whitish gray and is readily soluble in concentrated hydrochloric acid while silver foil is not. "Knowing this simple thing can avert unhealthy impact on body," an official said.
Test your food
* Ghee or butter: Vanaspati, if adulterated, would turn red when sugar and hydrochloric acid is mixed with it
* Edible oil: If adulterated with argemone oil, it will turn red when treated with nitric acid
* 'Pithi' sugar: Adulteration with washing soda can be detected if there is effervescence when a few drops of hydrochloric acid is added to it
* Honey: A cotton wick dipped in pure honey would burn when lit with a match stick. If adulterated with sugar solution, the presence of water will not let it burn. If it does, it will produce a cracking sound
* Silver foil: Aluminium foil is whitish gray in colour and is readily soluble in concentrated hydrochloric acid while pure silver foil is not
Protection from adulteration
The Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 makes adulteration punishable by fine and imprisonment. In Maharashtra, food safety officials collect samples of various foods from time to time. These are analysed in government public health laboratories. If the samples are found to be adulterated, legal action is taken against the vendors
Dial FDA
Consumers who suspect that a food article is adulterated, can inform the assistant commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, in their area who will at once look into their complaint. For assistance, call FDA office on 020-24470276
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