Food safety team destroys 35kg contaminated sweets in Jahangirabad raid

A food safety team raided a sweet manufacturing unit in Jahangirabad's Pukhta Bazar on Wednesday, destroying 35 kilograms of contaminated and stale sweets worth thousands of rupees on the spot. The action was carried out by the food safety department as part of an ongoing festive season crackdown on substandard food products ahead of Diwali.

The raid was led by Chief Food Safety Officer Anil Kumar Rai, accompanied by Food Safety Officers Kamlesh Kumar, Anil Kaushal, and Ram Milan Rana. During the inspection, the team found old and adulterated sweets being stored at the premises. Apart from destroying the unsafe stock immediately, officials also collected samples of barfi and ghewar from the factory and sent them to a laboratory for further testing.

The sudden enforcement action sent shockwaves through the local sweetshop community in Jahangirabad, located in Bulandshahr district. Several shop owners in the area reportedly shut down their establishments and left the premises fearing similar inspections. The incident has put traders on high alert as the authorities intensify their vigilance in the run-up to the festival season.

Chief Food Safety Officer Anil Kumar Rai said the drive has been launched on government orders to ensure food safety during the festive period. He emphasized that manufacturing units and sweet-making facilities across the district are being inspected as part of a coordinated campaign. Rai confirmed that the inspection and enforcement drive will continue until Diwali, signaling a sustained effort to protect consumers from adulterated and substandard food products during one of the busiest seasons for the sweets industry.

The operation underscores growing concerns about food safety standards in small-scale manufacturing units, particularly during high-demand festive periods when the risk of corners being cut increases significantly.