43 samples of sweets collected in one week

Tribune News Service

Kapurthala, October 19

In view of the forthcoming festival season, the Food and Drug Administration Department has launched a checking drive at sweet shops and dairies.

Assistant Commissioner, Food, Harjot Pal Singh, along with Food Safety Officers Satnam Singh and Mukul Gill, collected 43 samples of sweets, including ‘khoya burfi’, ‘rasgulla’, ‘gulab jamun’, ‘patisa’ and ‘petha’, and milk, paneer and desi ghee from various areas of the district in the last week.

The officials said cold stores and other such places that were used to store sweets would be inspected in the coming days. A team would keep an eye on railway stations to check the transportation of ‘khoya’ or other such items from other states.

Shopkeepers have been directed to display ‘best before date’ on loose sweets as directed by the FSSAI and not to store ‘khoya’ and sweets in cold stores. The shopkeepers can store sweets and ‘khoya’ for a limited period only in their own cold chambers situated inside their shops. The procurement of both items from other states and districts may invite action as it is deemed to be of inferior quality and is usually supplied under inferior storage and transport conditions.

“Shopkeepers can procure both items from the manufacturers of good repute,” said Harjot Pal Singh.