Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The team of the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted raids against many sweet shops on Sunday. Samples of paneer, mawa, milk and 'laddoos' were collected and consumers have been urged to exercise caution regarding silver and aluminium foils.
The raids coincided with 'Sharad Purnima', the festival during which demand for sweets and 'mawa' increases substantially.
FDA inspected Jai Shri Krishna Sweets, Amarnath area of Kolar locality. During the inspection, samples of 'paneer', 'mawa' and milk were collected for testing.
From Gurjar Dairy & Sweets, Chhola Road, samples of 'mawa' and 'Sharad Purnima Special' 'laddoos' were collected for testing.
Similarly, food officials reached Gupta Sweets & Namkeen in the Chhola Road area and collected samples of 'mawa' and 'mawa'-based 'laddoos'.
FDA has appealed to people not to buy sweets based solely on their attractive shine during festive occasions. Often, metallic foils are applied to these sweets to make them appear shinier and more attractive.
Consumers are advised not to be swayed solely by the shine or visual appeal of the sweets; instead, they should prioritise quality and food safety.
How to identify silver and aluminium foil
Relying solely on the degree of shine or lustre to identify the metal of the foil is not reliable, according to the FDA. Only silver foil that meets food safety standards and is certified as safe for human consumption may be used on sweets.
Furthermore, metallic foils made of aluminium or other non-approved metals should not be used on food products. Silver foil ('Chandi ka Vark'): Traditionally, when a thin sheet of silver foil is gently rubbed between the fingers, it may break down into fine particles or appear to gradually vanish.
Aluminium foil: When rubbed by hand, instead of disappearing, it tends to crumple into small metallic knots or thick, thread-like structures.
