FSDA to check quality of Christmas treats

Meerut: The Food Safety and Drugs Authority (FSDA) in Meerut has started a drive to ensure that Christmas and New Year’s treats are safe for consumption and that no adulterated items are sold in the city during the festive time.

The anti-adulteration drive is set to start from Christmas and continue till New Year. “A five-member team of the food department will conduct regular checks by sending samples of food items to the Lucknow laboratory for testing. While action will be taken only after the lab results are sent here, if the team finds any substandard or unsafe food item – which looks so prima facie, action can be taken accordingly,” said Archana Dheeran, designated food officer.

Though samples of food items suspected to be substandard or adulterated will be sent to the Lucknow food testing lab to avert any manipulation at the city-based lab, if the food items look way too suspicious they will be sent to the latter and immediate report will be sought. The sample reports from the city-based lab can be procured in 48 hours and action can be taken soon after, officials said.

The FSDA officials will keep a close eye on milk, milk products, cakes, Christmas treats, sweets and ingredients used for making bakery products. These, they say, are the main food items that are found adulterated during this time.

“The food items are preserved and sent to Lucknow by courier. The result will reach us within 20 days. We are focusing mainly on sweets, milk products and cooking oils to keep adulteration under control,” said Dheeran.

Adulteration in food items can lead to cancellation of licence and sentence ranging between six months to life. Besides, the criminal offence attracts a fine up to Rs 10 lakh.