Amritsar, October 15
While the festive season is underway, the Health Department has seized around 100 quintals of sweets that were being prepared in unhygienic conditions in an illegal factory in the Mustafabad area on the Batala road during a raid last evening.
According to information, the owner of the factory did not have the requisite license under the Food Safety and Standard Act for storing and preparing such huge quantities of sweets. Health officials revealed that the sweets were being prepared and stored in highly unhygienic conditions where rats were roaming freely and the sweets were not even covered to prevent dust and dirt from falling on these.
The sweets were to be distributed in Gurdaspur, Dinanagar, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur and other adjoining areas of Amritsar, including the Jalandhar and the Tarn Taran areas. The department took samples of the sweets, which were sent to Chandigarh for examination.
Dr Shivcharan Kahlon, district health officer, said the factory was owned by Naresh Kumar of the Jawahar Nagar area, who also reached the site later on. Kahlon said the department had sealed the factory and 100 quintals of sweets stored there. Further action would be initiated after getting the report.
“It would have taken more than a day to prepare such a huge quantity of sweets. That means it was several days old and hence could be dangerous for the health of the people,” Kahlon pointed out.
He further said that according to the Food Safety and Standard Act, it was mandatory to have medical examination of all persons, be it owners or employees involved in preparing food items, done. But no one in the factory here had the documents regarding their medical examination. He reinforced the fact that sweets were being prepared in a filthy environment.
While the festive season is underway, the Health Department has seized around 100 quintals of sweets that were being prepared in unhygienic conditions in an illegal factory in the Mustafabad area on the Batala road during a raid last evening.
According to information, the owner of the factory did not have the requisite license under the Food Safety and Standard Act for storing and preparing such huge quantities of sweets. Health officials revealed that the sweets were being prepared and stored in highly unhygienic conditions where rats were roaming freely and the sweets were not even covered to prevent dust and dirt from falling on these.
The sweets were to be distributed in Gurdaspur, Dinanagar, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur and other adjoining areas of Amritsar, including the Jalandhar and the Tarn Taran areas. The department took samples of the sweets, which were sent to Chandigarh for examination.
Dr Shivcharan Kahlon, district health officer, said the factory was owned by Naresh Kumar of the Jawahar Nagar area, who also reached the site later on. Kahlon said the department had sealed the factory and 100 quintals of sweets stored there. Further action would be initiated after getting the report.
“It would have taken more than a day to prepare such a huge quantity of sweets. That means it was several days old and hence could be dangerous for the health of the people,” Kahlon pointed out.
He further said that according to the Food Safety and Standard Act, it was mandatory to have medical examination of all persons, be it owners or employees involved in preparing food items, done. But no one in the factory here had the documents regarding their medical examination. He reinforced the fact that sweets were being prepared in a filthy environment.
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