Sweet shop vigil

A shop sells varieties of sweets in Ranchi on Friday

Creamy khoya or mawa may contain starch, mashed paper, urea, soda or even chalk powder. Kaju katli may have no cashews. Beaten silver varq or foil may have aluminium.
Sweets, the soul of festive sentiment, may be adulterated, National Consumer Helpline and state food and civil supplies department have warned.
And if you suspect the store from where you buy sweets is compromising on purity, don’t sit quiet with a bitter taste in your mouth.
National Consumer Helpline will register your complaints via phone on toll-free number 1800-11-4000 or SMSes with your name and city sent to 8800939717. You can also email your complaint to Raj Kumar Choudhary, deputy secretary of state food and civil supplies at food.secy@gmail.com.
“On Thursday, we alerted deputy commissioners of all districts and senior officials. A flying squad, which I personally head, will also check the validity of complaints and nab offenders,” Choudhary said.
Across all districts, deputy commissioners, subdivisional officers and district supply officers are on their toes to conduct food safety audits. Samples of adulterated sweets will be tested at Food Testing Laboratory, Namkum.
“If a complaint comes, we will depute the DC, food supply inspector and a team to raid the shop, seal it and collect samples of the alleged spurious edibles. The food inspector will send samples to the Namkum lab. If found adulterated, an FIR will be lodged at the respective thana and offending shop owners arrested. I’ll take personal interest in all cases,” Choudhary stressed.
He added health department officials and civil surgeons were also keeping close tabs on sweet shops.
According to Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, a person who sells adulterated food “not in compliance with the provisions of this Act or quality demanded by the purchaser”, can be penalised with a fine upto Rs 5 lakh” and “imprisonment of three months to life”.
“We won’t take chances with people’s health during Diwali,” said Ranchi DC Vinay Kumar Choubey.
Consumers have also become more aware. “I’m purchasing dry fruits and sugar-free sweets. We are also avoiding sweets with foil. All that glitters may not be silver,” said Tejawasi Singh, an Ashok Nagar based homemaker.
Sweet shop owners, however, are claiming to use pure khoya, mawa and milk.