Pre-Diwali Crackdown: 35 Samples Collected from 13 Sweet Shops in Gautam Buddh Nagar

Gautam Buddh Nagar, October 29 (Daily Kiran) : In Gautam Buddh Nagar, the Food Safety and Drug Administration has intensified inspections to ensure safe and pure food products ahead of the Diwali festival. Following directives from the district magistrate, various teams conducted raids on 13 sweet manufacturing units late on October 28 and early October 29, collecting a total of 35 samples for testing.

All samples have been sent to a laboratory for analysis. Additionally, 12 establishments received notices for improvement due to shortcomings in cleanliness and failure to provide necessary documentation.

The initiative aims to guarantee the quality of sweets and other food items available in the market during the festive season. Given the heightened demand for sweets during Diwali, concerns about adulteration and unsanitary conditions in food preparation have prompted the department to take action.

Assistant Food Commissioner Sarvesh Mishra noted that samples included khoya from Haldiram’s unit in Sector 63, and nine samples from Bikanervala in Sector 57, which included boondi laddus and chenna rasgullas. Samples of gulab jamun and kaju katli were taken from Rabri’s unit in Ecotech-1, while Om Evergreen in Site-C provided samples of kaju mithai, rasbhari, and besan laddus.

Further inspections included samples from Badami Sweets in Bisrakh and Ganeshwaram in Sector 46, which also provided khoya samples. Other establishments, such as Namaskar Sweets and Standard Sweets, were inspected, with samples of besan laddus and khoya collected for testing.

The crackdown also targeted Singhal Sweets in Dadri, Shagun Sweets in Ecotech-2, and Heera Sweets in Sector 87, where additional samples were collected. Nathu Sweets in Sector 155 contributed samples of red chili powder and coconut barfi.

The department indicated that all samples collected will undergo quality checks against established standards. Further actions will depend on the laboratory results.

During the inspections, some establishments failed to present essential documents, including health certificates for workers and pest control records. Cleanliness issues were also noted, leading to the issuance of improvement notices.

This operation was conducted under the supervision of Vinay Kumar, Assistant Food Commissioner of the Meerut division, Sarvesh Mishra, and Chief Food Safety Officer Virendra Dwivedi. Mishra confirmed that the inspections will continue under the district magistrate’s guidance.

The department aims to ensure that the public has access to pure and safe food and beverages that meet regulatory standards. This pre-Diwali initiative is expected to increase vigilance among sweet manufacturers regarding compliance with food safety regulations.

The final assessment of the samples’ quality will depend on the laboratory reports, but the department has committed to ongoing inspections to uphold food safety during the festive season.