Ghaziabad, August 25: In a significant move against food adulteration ahead of the festive season, the Food Department has taken decisive action in Ghaziabad. On Monday evening, a team from the department raided Sachin Chhena Store in the Bhimnagar area of the Crossing Republic police station and destroyed approximately 10 quintals of chhena rasgulla.
Food Department official Suresh Kumar Mishra stated, “Under the directives of Dr. Roshan Jacob from the Food Safety and Drug Administration, we are actively combating adulterated food products. We have been taking action against various food items, including chhena and paneer. We received complaints about large-scale production of chhena rasgulla in this area.”
He further explained that the team collected samples of rasgulla, arrowroot, paneer, and a chemical known as Cephalite. The latter was found to contain sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate, a chemical used for bleaching and preservation.
Mishra added, “We have taken samples for testing. The chemical sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate is being used to mash paneer and mix it with starch to whiten it, serving both as a preservative and a bleaching agent. Due to the presence of these chemicals, all these food items are being destroyed. We will also initiate the process to suspend their license.”
The raid at Sachin Chhena Store, owned by Uday Singh from Sarvodaya Nagar, revealed a large quantity of prepared chhena rasgulla. According to officials, its quality did not meet safety standards. Consequently, the team destroyed about 10 quintals of rasgulla to prevent it from reaching the market.
During the operation, the team collected samples of prepared rasgulla, arrowroot, paneer, and Cephalite for laboratory testing. The department confirmed that chemicals like sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate were being used.
Meanwhile, the Food Department also conducted a significant operation in Noida. A raid was carried out at a rasgulla manufacturing unit in Sarfabad Sector-72, where contaminated rasgullas were found infested with flies and mosquitoes. Approximately 100 kilograms of rasgulla were destroyed. The team sent a total of seven food samples for testing, including three samples of paneer from Jewar Toll Plaza, and samples of ghevar from Sector-134 and khoya-ghevar from Ecotech-2.
Earlier, about four days ago, the Food Department had taken action near Bhojpur in Modinagar, seizing a large quantity of suspicious paneer, mawa, and other food items. Complaints indicated that adulteration was taking place in chhena, mawa, cake, and ghevar in the area, prompting the team to intensify their inspection efforts.
In light of the upcoming festivals, Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mandal has instructed the Food Department to take strict action against adulteration. Officials have been directed to conduct immediate investigations and collect samples of suspicious food items upon receiving complaints.
According to Food Department officials, if discrepancies are found in the sample reports, action will be taken against the respective firm under the Food Safety and Standards Act.
Leave a Comment