Bhayandar: The festive season may be the time to gorge on sweets, but watch out before you savour those mouthwatering delicacies, bought from some of the mithai (sweetmeat) corners and bakery shops in your neighborhood in Mira-Bhayandar.
The celebrations could be ruined if you or your guests land up with an upset stomach due to consumption of adulterated food prepared in unhygienic conditions.
Not all glittering sweet and confectionery shops have their own pantry or culinary experts to cater to the taste of the consumers, as most of either outsource the sweetmeat products from small time unregistered manufacturing units or have their workshops in dingy tenements located in slum-clusters including Ganesh Deval and Jai Ambe Nagar in Bhayandar (west) which are notorious for housing such sweet dens.
“If you want to cut down on intake of sweets, pay a visit to some of the stinky shanties, where they are actually made, the buzzing presence of mosquitoes and stinky surroundings will kill your craving for such products once and for all,” says Vasant Mane who has lodged complaints with the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) and civic body supported with photographs which exposes the unhygienic atmosphere in which the eatables are made.
“We are ensuring that all food products being sold ahead of the festival were of a good quality. Apart from collecting samples and closing down a couple of establishments, we have issued improvement notices some bakers and sweetmeat sellers.
Cases under the Food Safety & Standard Act will be filed if samples were found unfit for consumption. Drive will be further intensified.” said Food Safety Officer Arvind Khadke.
Expressing helplessness, a sanitary inspector said, “Our action is limited to ensure clean surroundings. An inspection report has however been sent to the ward officer.”
Raw material is not tested, nor the employees of such units are checked for medical fitness as mandated under the food safety rules, it is learnt.
By Suresh Golani
