Ambala: 25% food samples fail quality test

Ambala, April 5

About 25 per cent of the food samples taken by the Food and Drug Administration last year were found substandard and unsafe as they failed to meet the quality standards.

A total of 248 samples were taken, of which 186 samples were found to be genuine while 62 failed to meet the quality standards.

The substandard food items included a sample of jaggery and two samples of cereal products. Of the remaining 59 samples, 22 were of milk-based products, including khoya and paneer, 14 were milk samples, seven of cereal products, four of bakery products, three each of salt, beverages and edible oil, two samples were of sweets and one of paan masala.

Food Safety Officer Dr Rajeev Kumar said, “To ensure that food products being sold in the market are meeting the food quality standards, regular inspections are done and samples are collected from bakeries, dhabas, grocery stores, sweet shops and restaurants. The samples are sent to laboratories in Chandigarh and Karnal for examination. In case a sample fails to meet the quality standards, action is taken against the producer and seller concerned. The samples are collected randomly or on the basis of complaints. Special drives are conducted during the festive season. A total of 15 samples were taken during the Navratri festival and sent for analysis.”

Designated Food Safety Officer ND Sharma said, “The milk samples found substandard were mainly due to low fat or low SNF (solids non fat). The non-compliance of parameters could be because of the health condition of the animal or due to the dilution of water in milk. While preparing khoya, producers sometimes use refined or vanaspati oil, which is not allowed. The food business operators must obtain licence and follow the guidelines of the Food Safety and Standards Act else they will face action.”