Beware Of Adulterated Sweets During This Diwali (Image: Pixabay)
India is all set to celebrate Diwali this year, and the celebrations are incomplete without sweets of all kinds, including barfis, halwas, and cookies. Notably, several sweets that are typically consumed during Diwali are made from khoya or mawa. As demands for dairy products surge during festival season, some people can also exploit it by producing artificial products with harmful chemicals.
One should be very careful while buying sweets during festivities. This is the consignment of fake Khoa/mawa being destroyed by authorities in Baghpat, UP. The consignment was seized while it was being transported to Delhi from Muzaffarnagar. pic.twitter.com/nmJGhvV4fH
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) November 9, 2023
In such an incident, authorities in Uttar Pradesh seized a consignment of fake Khoa. It was seized while it was being transported to Delhi from Muzaffarnagar. Earlier in October, the Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) directed sweet manufacturers in the country to strictly follow FSSAI guidelines for festive sales. FSSAI also asked sweet manufacturers to collect raw materials like milk and khoya from licensed vendors on FSSAI lists. Khoa, also known as Khoya, refers to the milk solids obtained by simmering and reducing full-fat milk until all the liquid evaporates.
There were also reports that the Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has planned to hold country-wide surveillance on milk and its products. As per the data, the food regulator tested 1,72,687 food samples in 2022. Out of this, 44,421 food samples were totally non-conforming to the FSSAi standard. FSSAI has also imposed 4,817 criminal cases and 38,053 civil cases. In June, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced that FSSAI has created a team in coordination with the state authorities to crack down on those who indulge in food adulteration and other malpractises. During this occasion, Mansukh Mandaviya also added that strict action will be taken as per the Food Safety and Standards Act (2006) against those found guilty. Food adulteration refers to the act of including harmful substances to food products, compromising their quality and safety.
