Noida, Aug 25 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh Food Department has intensified its crackdown on food adulteration in Ghaziabad and Noida ahead of the upcoming festive season, taking major action against suspected substandard food products.
A team of officials raided Sachin Chhena Store in Ghaziabad’s Bhim Nagar, falling under the Crossing Republic police station area, on Monday evening, and destroyed nearly 10 quintals of Chhena Rasgulla after suspected irregularities were found at the premises.
Food Department official Suresh Kumar Mishra said that the department has stepped up inspections and action against adulterated food items following instructions from Food Safety and Drug Administration Director Dr Roshan Jacob. He said several food products, including Chhena and Paneer, have already been inspected as part of the ongoing campaign.
Speaking about the action, Mishra said, “On the instructions of Food Safety and Drug Administration Director Dr Roshan Jacob, action is being taken against adulterated food items. So far, we have taken action against several food items, including Chhena and Paneer. We received a complaint that a large quantity of Chhena Rasgulla was being manufactured at these premises.”
During the inspection at Sachin Chhena Store, the Food Department team collected four samples for laboratory examination. The samples included prepared rasgulla, arrowroot, paneer and cefolite.
Officials also examined the materials being used during the preparation and stated that sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate was being used as a chemical to whiten the food products.
“We have collected samples and are sending them for testing. They are using a chemical called sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate to whiten the paneer by mashing it with starch, which acts as a preservative as well as a bleaching agent. Due to the presence of these chemicals, all these food items are being destroyed. We will initiate the process of suspending their license,” an official said.
According to the department, the Sachin Chhena Store in Bhim Nagar is owned by Uday Singh, a resident of Sarvodaya Nagar. During the inspection, officials found a substantial quantity of prepared Chhena Rasgulla at the premises.
The team initially found the quality of the rasgullas to be substandard, following which the prepared stock was destroyed to ensure that the suspected products did not enter the market and reach consumers.
Officials said approximately 10 quintals of rasgullas were destroyed during the operation. The samples collected from the premises, including those of rasgullas, arrowroot, paneer and cefolite, will now be sent to a laboratory for detailed testing. The final action against the firm will depend on the findings of the laboratory reports.
The Food Department said that the use of chemicals in food preparation is also being examined. According to officials, cefolite was found to involve the use of chemicals such as sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate, which can function as a bleaching agent and preservative.
The department is examining whether the use of such substances was in accordance with food safety regulations.
Meanwhile, the Food Department also conducted a separate operation in neighbouring Noida as part of the pre-festival inspections.
A team raided a rasgulla manufacturing unit located in Sarfabad, Sector 72, where officials reportedly found flies and mosquitoes around contaminated rasgullas. The team destroyed approximately 100 kilograms of rasgullas during the action.
In addition to the Noida raid, the Food Department collected samples of several other food products from different locations. A total of seven food samples were taken during the wider inspection drive.
These included three paneer samples collected at the Jewar toll plaza, along with samples of ghevar from Sector 134 and khoya-ghevar from Ecotech-2.
The department has been conducting inspections at food manufacturing and selling establishments across the region as the festive season approaches, when demand for sweets, paneer, khoya and other dairy-based products generally increases.
Officials said the intensified inspections are aimed at preventing adulterated or unsafe food products from reaching consumers.
Last week, the Food Department had also taken action in Bhojpur near Modinagar. During that operation, the team seized large quantities of suspected paneer, mawa and other food products.
–IANS
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