Salem: Food safety officials conducted a surprise raid in a jaggery shandy at Kandampatty here on Saturday and seized 40,000kg adulterated jaggery worth Rs 15 lakh.
The team led by district designated food safety officer S Mariappan said they had been conducting raids to keep the adulterated jaggery out of the market in view of Pongal, the three-day harvest festival that falls in January every year.
The team said they conducted raid at the shandy at Kandampatty based on a tip that jaggery manufacturers were adding chemicals such as hydros (sodium hydrogen sulphate), lime (calcium oxide), sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, super phosphate and alum to jaggery. “The jaggery manufacturers also mix sugar to enrich the sweetness of jaggery. This is harmful to people, especially diabetics,” Mariappan said.
He said the sodium hydrogen sulphate, which is used to whiten jaggery, was meant for the textile industry. “It is used as a bleaching agent in the textile industry,” he said, adding, “Jaggery manufacturers are using sodium hydrogen sulphate to bleach jaggery to make it appear white during the production. Sometimes, they also mix sugar to enrich the sweetness.”
The team has collected a few samples from the shandy and they would be sent to the government testing lab in Chennai to confirm whether they contain any chemical. “Strict action will be initiated against the jaggery manufacturers if the test sample confirms adulteration,” the district designated food safety officer said.
The officials also seized 40,000 kg jaggery from the shandy.
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