145 Kgs of Rasgullas and namkeens destroyed ahead of Diwali in Noida

Diwali is almost here and it’s that time of the year, when lights, crackers and good food defines the festive zeal! But ahead of Diwali the sad reality of commercial sweets and snacks are revealed by the food safety teams that leave people shocked as well as furious. One such drive was recently conducted by the the Food Safety Department in Noida, wherein they found 1,100 kg of adulterated sweets, 145 kgs of Rasgullas and hundreds of snacks and kilograms of contaminated ingredients used to make these festive delights. Here’s more insight on this shocking news. What really happened?According to the report by a leading digital news platform, it was mentioned that several raids were conducted in and around NCR, wherein more than 1,100 kg of adulterated sweets and hundreds of snacks and several kilograms of contaminated ingredients were found and destroyed over the past few days as part of a pre-festival raid to stop adulteration. In this drive heaps of contaminated sweets, oils and other essential ingredients were seized and later buried and destroyed by the officials of the Food Safety Department in Gautam Buddh Nagar.What shocked the masses?According to a statement given to the media by the Assistant Commissioner (Food) Sarvesh Mishra, it was found that the sweets made in a manufacturing unit in Sector 115, Noida were found to be made under unhygienic conditions. He further added that “the sweets, meant for sale in rural areas, were being made using substandard ingredients. Around 1,100 kg were destroyed on the spot.” He further added that “samples of the sweets were also sent to the lab for testing to confirm the extent of adulteration”.Are packed Rasgullas also contaminated?He further stated that, the team of officials at another site in Devla, Greater Noida, disposed of around 145 kg of rasgullas stored in dirty containers and exposed to flies and mosquitoes. Officials also seized 80 kg of white powder, which was claimed to be arrowroot and was sent for further testing. During the same inspection, 285 kg of mustard oil suspected to be adulterated was confiscated from a store in Sector 49, as the shopkeeper failed to produce valid purchase bills.”More raids to crackdown the cartelThe food safety officials continued across other areas of Noida and Greater Noida and found around 38 kg of namkeen suspected to be unfit for consumption was seized, while samples of peda and other sweets were collected from nearby villages of Lakhnawali and Surajpur, were sent to labs for analysis.In fact, the drive found and destroyed more adulterated sweets and dairy products in Ladpura and Panwari, including 16 kg of contaminated khoya and 75 kg of rasgullas, respectively. Mishra stated that the department was conducting “continuous inspections across the district to prevent adulteration and ensure that only clean and safe food reaches the public ahead of Diwali. He further added During these raids, 113 kg of sonpapdi and 50 kg of fungus-infested almonds were destroyed. “Legal action will be taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, once test reports are received.”