FDA cautions citizens on adulterated sweets

“We have also called a meeting of confectionery owners. We will advise them to prepare raw material such as khoya,mava and ghee themselves rather than buying it from other states. Most of the problems arise owing to inter-state export of products as we do not know how old it is or whether it is adulterated,” he said.

FDA officials on Thursday had raided a shop in Dhankawadi and seized 420 kg adulterated khoya worth Rs 45,900.

Officials said the product that was brought to the city from Gujarat and was destroyed as it was adulterated.

Kekare said around 33 FDA officials will keep a check on adulterated products and other illegal practices related to preparation and distribution of sweets and prasad during the festive season.

Civic activists say owing to negligence on the part of FDA and civic health officials,the health of citizens have taken a beating. “Just because there are big shops selling sweets does not mean they be allowed to flout norms. These shops should be monitored closely,” said activist Sachin Godambe.

PCMC health director Dr Rajshekhar Iyer said,”During my tenure at PCMC,I used to instruct my officials to check for adulteration in sweets much before the festive season started. Just to make big profits these shops compromise on public health. Civic bodies and FDA should keep a continuous tab on these shops,” he said.

(With inputs from Manoj More)