In its annual Diwali crackdown on adulterated food, the food and drug administration (FDA) department seized edible items worth Rs 4 crore in a weeklong drive, since sweets and other foods are sold in bulk quantities across the state at this time.
According to FDA officials, they inspected edible oil, mawa, sweets, milk, and raw food material, including tea and Indian spices. The confiscated material comprised 12 tonnes of mawa, 3,561kg of sweets, 46,000 kg of maida, oil and ghee and 40,638 kg of other items.
The 12 tonnes of mawa, valued at Rs 6.37 lakh, was seized from 62 places raided by the FDA. Usually mawa is imported from the neighbouring states of Gujarat and Karnataka and it is the most adulterated food item, largely used during Diwali. Of the 46,000kg adulterated maida-oil--ghee, collectively valued at Rs 1.87 crore, the FDA took 641 samples for testing and 350 samples of the sweets seized.
The FDA has alerted people to purchase food items only from known sellers and check expiry dates and other details on products they purchase. Also, people can call helpline numbers to complain against dealers selling adulterated food products and following unfair trade practices, the officials informed.
