Diwali Food Checks: 35 Samples Lifted, 12 Notices Issued
Food safety enforcement has picked up pace in Gautam Buddh Nagar as Diwali approaches. Officials conducted inspections at 13 sweet-making units, lifted 35 samples and served improvement notices on 12 establishments.
The district's Food Safety and Drug Administration Department acted on the orders of the District Magistrate. Teams carried out raids late on the night of October 28 and on October 29, focusing on units that prepare sweets for the festive market.
The department said the samples have been forwarded to a laboratory, where they will be tested against prescribed standards. Separately, notices have been issued to 12 establishments for not making essential documents available at the premises and for gaps in cleanliness.
The drive is aimed at protecting consumers during the festival, when demand for sweets and other food items rises. Officials pointed out that the seasonal surge can lead to adulteration and food being prepared in unhygienic conditions, making close monitoring necessary.
According to Assistant Commissioner (Food) II Sarvesh Mishra, a khoya sample was taken from the Haldiram unit in Noida's Sector 63. The Bikanerwala unit in Sector 57 accounted for nine samples, covering boondi laddu, chhena rasgulla and paneer among others.
Rabries in Ecotech-1, Greater Noida, yielded gulab jamun and kaju katli samples. Om Evergreen in Site-C provided kaju mithai, rasbhari and besan laddu. Badami Sweets in Bisrakh provided khoya, kaju kiwi barfi and pink sandwich sweet.
From Noida's Sector 46, a khoya sample was taken from Ganeshwaram. Namaskar Sweet in Site-C, Surajpur, provided besan laddu and milk cake, while Standard Sweets in Sector 10 provided besan, khoya and chhena.
Singhal Sweets in Dadri provided khoya, parwal mithai and paneer samples. Shagun Sweets in Udyog Vihar, Ecotech-2, provided coconut barfi and colourful sweets. Heera Sweets in Sector 87 provided khoya and rajbhog, and Shreeji Shyam Dairy in Sector 7 provided khoya.
Lastly, Nathu Sweets in Sector 155 provided red chilli powder, ghiya barfi and coconut barfi samples. The department stated that the final action under food safety rules will depend on the laboratory findings.
During the inspections, several establishments could not show workers' health certificates, pest control records or water test reports. Certain production premises also showed sanitation lapses. The department has instructed the establishments to fix these problems.
The campaign was monitored by Vinit Kumar, Assistant Commissioner (Food), Meerut Division, Sarvesh Mishra, and Chief Food Safety Officer Virendra Dwivedi. Mishra said inspections of food establishments will continue under the District Magistrate's guidance.
The department expects the action to raise vigilance among sweet traders ahead of Diwali. However, the actual quality status of the samples will be confirmed only after laboratory reports are released. Officials have confirmed that checks will continue through the festive season to ensure hygiene and quality of food items.