The festive season may be the time to devour sweets, but one must watch out before you savour those mouth-watering delicacies, bought from some of the mithai (sweetmeat) shops in the twin city- or else the celebrations could be ruined with an upset stomach or more serious ailments due to consumption of adulterated food which has passed its shelf-life.
Several sweet shops in Mira Road and Bhayandar are brazenly flouting the advisories issued by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) authorities, including the display of ‘use by date’ information for loose sweets kept in trays and containers.
In the wake of the festive season, the FDA had recently issued a list of directions to sweet-makers and shopkeepers which includes-preparing sweets in hygienic conditions, use of drinking water, using by date to be mentioned while displaying sweets on the counter for sale, temperature checks and medical tests of workers to ensure that they are free from any infections and skin diseases.
"Apart from issuing the advisory, we have been taking awareness sessions and food safety training and certification (FOSTAC) training for manufacturers and sweet shop owners to ensure due diligence is taken while preparing, storing, distribution and over-the-counter sale of eatables. Surveillance has been intensified. While sample testing is a regular process, two shops in Mira Road were slapped a fine of Rs. 50,000 and Rs.25,000 for not displaying the use-by-date board. People can call us on our toll-free number- 1800 222 365 to register complaints," said, assistant FDA commissioner (Thane)- Digamber Bhogawde.
Apart from violating the use of date norms partly or completely, several glittering sweet shops either outsource the sweetmeat products from small-time unregistered manufacturing units or have their workshops in dingy tenements located in slum clusters.
